5VNDAY-5GHOOL- 


'AMO5-R.-WELL5' 


Sunday-School  Success 


L 


Sunday-School  Success 


A  Book  of  Practical  Methods 
for  Sunday-School  Teachers 
and  Officers  &  J*  J* 


By 

Amos  R.  Wells 

Author  of  "  Business,"  "  When  Thou  Hast  Shut  Thy 
Door,"  "  Social  Evenings,"  etc. 


NEW  YORK       CHICAGO       TORONTO 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1897,  by 
FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


THE   NEW  YORK  TYPK-SETTING  COMPANY 


THE  CAXTON    PRESS 


Preface 

IN  these  pages  I  have  described  the  methods  of 
the  most  successful  teachers  and  Sunday-schools  I 
have  known.  While  a  large  part  of  the  book  is  the 
direct  fruit  of  my  own  experience  in  Sabbath  and 
secular  schools,  it  sets  forth,  as  every  teacher  will 
understand,  what  I  have  learned  from  my  failures 
rather  than  from  my  successes. 

Though  the  volume  has  something  to  say  on  all 
the  great  Sunday-school  problems,  it  does  not  pretend 
to  be  a  complete  manual ;  indeed,  who  could  prepare 
one  on  so  stupendous  a  theme?  If  it  justifies  its  ap- 
pearance among  the  admirable  treatises  already  pub- 
lished for  Sunday-school  workers,  it  will  be  because 
it  presents  with  frankness  the  methods  found  helpful 
by  an  average  teacher,  who  never  had  charge  of  a 
large  school  or  a  large  class,  but  in  district  school, 
small  college,  and  small  Sunday-school  has  struggled 
with  the  practical  problems  of  a  teacher,  and  in  some 
of  them  at  least,  like  Sentimental  Tommy,  has  "  found 
a  way." 

A  large  number  of  these  chapters  have  appeared 
5 


Preface 

in  the  "Sunday-school  Times,"  and  others  in  the 
"  Sunday-school  Journal "  of  the  Methodists,  the 
"  Pilgrim  Teacher "  of  the  Congregationalists,  the 
"Westminster  Teacher"  of  the  Presbyterians,  the 
"  Baptist  Teacher,"  and  the  "  Golden  Rule."  I  am 
grateful  to  these  periodicals  for  permission  to  include 
this  material  in  my  book. 

AMOS  R.  WELLS. 
BOSTON,  September,  1897. 


Contents 


FACE 

I.  THE  TEACHER'S  CROWN  .        .       .       .        .9 
II.  WHO  SHOULD  TEACH  IN  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL?    14 

III.  PREPARING  THE  LESSON 21 

IV.  SOMETHING  ABOUT  TEACHERS'  MEETINGS       .    32 
V.  A  TEACHER  WITH  A  SCHEDULE      .        .        .39 

VI.  MY  LESSON  CHART 42 

VII.  THE  VALUE  OF  A  MONOTESSARON  .       .       .46 

VIII.  GETTING  ATTENTION 52 

IX.  KEEPING  ATTENTION 57 

X.  THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  QUESTIONING        .        .    64 

XI.  A  GOOD  QUESTION 69 

XII.  INSPIRING  QUESTIONS 75 

XIII.  TRIGGER-TEACHING 80 

XIV.  GALVANIC  TEACHING 85 

XV.  SERIAL  TEACHING 89 

XVI.  TEACHING  THE  PSALMS   ...       *       .    95 
XVII.  THOSE  TEMPERANCE  AND  MISSIONARY  LESSONS  104 

XVIII.  TOPICAL  LESSONS 114 

XIX.  INTRODUCING  THOUGHTS         .        .        .        .119 
XX.  ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  APPLICATIONS  .       .       .12$ 
7 


Contents 

•MM 

XXI.  RIGHTEOUS  PADDING         ....  130 
XXII.  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  AND  THE  NEWSPAPER  134 

XXIII.  ON  TAKING  THINGS  FOR  GRANTED  .        .  139 

XXIV.  UTILIZING  THE  LATE  SCHOLAR.        .        .  143 
XXV.  SIDE-TRACKING  THE  TEACHER  .        .        .  146 

XXVI.  THE  PROBLEM  OF  THE  VISITOR        .        .  150 

XXVII.  "UNDER  PETTICOAT  GOVERNMENT"         .  154 

XXVIII.  THE  TEACHER'S  THREE  GRACES        .        .  160 

XXIX.  SOMETHING  TO  BELONG  TO       ...  163 

XXX.  THROUGH  EYE-GATE 167 

XXXI.  FOUNDATION  WORK 178 

XXXII.  THE  TRIAL  BALANCE 193 

XXXIII.  AT  THE  HELM 201 

XXXIV.  THE  SUPERINTENDENT'S  CHANCE       .        .  209 
XXXV.  THE  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  AND  THE  WEATHER  213 

XXXVI.  A  PROFITABLE  PICNIC       .        .        .        .217 

XXXVII.  A  SINGING  SUNDAY-SCHOOL      .        .        .221 

XXXVIII.  A  PRAYING  SUNDAY-SCHOOL      .        .        .  227 

XXXIX.  S.  S.  AND  C.  E 233 

XL.  TEACHERS  IN  8vo 241 

XLI.  AROUND  THE  COUNCIL  FIRE      .        .        .  256 

XLII.  THE  INCORPORATION  OF  IDEAS          .        .  267 

XLIII.  FROM  A  SUPERINTENDENT'S  NOTEBOOK    .  272 

XLIV.  FROM  A  TEACHER'S  NOTEBOOK         .        .  287 


Sunday-School  Success 

Chapter  I 
The  Teacher's  Crown 

IN  one  of  those  dreams  which  are  truer  than  wak- 
ing there  passed  before  me  a  long  line  of  the  Sun- 
day-school teachers  I  have  known.  One  after  the 
other  they  appeared— those  that  had  taught  my 
childish  lips  to  repeat  the  Bible  words,  those  that  had 
led  my  youth  into  the  opening  glories  of  the  Interna- 
tional Lessons,  those  that  had  put  to  rest  the  rising 
doubts  of  the  young  man  and  clinched  his  faith  to 
the  Rock  of  ages ;  those,  also,  of  less  blessed  mem- 
ory, whom  I  knew  in  early  or  later  years,  that  had 
done  none  of  these  things,  but  other  good  things  not 
so  good. 

And  I  noted  in  astonishment,  as  each  came  into 

view,  that  all  were  decked  with  diverse  crowns.     I 

had  not  looked  long  before  I  saw  that  these  crowns 

were  not  arbitrary  and  artificial,  but  sprung  from  the 

9 


Sunday-School  Success 

very  substance  of  the  character  of  each.  They  had 
all  received  their  reward,  but  according  to  their  deeds. 

First  came  a  teacher  whom  I  remembered  merely 
as  an  eloquent  ta4ker.  His  words  were  deftly  chosen, 
his  sentences  smoothly  formed.  His  teaching  was  a 
charming  harangue,  bright  with  metaphor,  flashing 
with  sparkling  parables.  I  loved  to  listen  to  him. 
I  was  as  proud  of  him  as  he  was  of  himself.  To  be 
sure,  the  only  good  thing  he  ever  did  for  me  was  to 
inspire  in  me  the  vain  desire  to  become  an  equally 
eloquent  talker,  but  yet  I  was  sorry  he  had  not  re- 
ceived a  nicer  crown.  It  looked  very  beautiful,  as 
if  it  were  thickly  studded  with  lovely  pearls  richly 
iridescent  in  the  sun ;  but  when  he  came  near  I  saw 
that  each  pearl  was  a  little  bubble  swollen  from  a 
reservoir  within.  These  bubbles  were  bursting  all 
over  the  crown,  fresh  ones  ever  taking  their  place. 
It  was  a  very  pretty  sight,  yet  a  very  trivial  crown, 
and  I  was  sorry  for  him. 

There  were  several  worthy  teachers  in  the  line 
whom  I  remembered  as  careful  instructors  in  Bible 
history.  They  had  every  date  at  tongue's  end,  knew 
the  order  of  the  books  and  their  contents,  the  rela- 
tionships of  the  prominent  characters  to  each  other, 
all  details  of  place  and  customs.  They  could  repeat 
Bible  verses  by  the  yard,  and  gave  prizes  for  such 
feats  of  unreasoning  memory.  They  were  mechanical, 
but  thorough  and  useful.  They  had  taught  me  how 
to  dig  into  the  Bible  and  study  it  as  hard  as  I  would 
study  calculus.  I  was  grateful  to  them  for  this, 


The  Teacher's  Crown 

though  they  did  no  more,  and  so  was  rather  sorry  to 
observe  their  frail  crowns.  They  were  all  of  paper, 
neatly  folded  and  plaited,  and  as  I  came  nearer  I  saw 
that  each  crown  was  made  up  of  leaves  of  the  Bible. 

I  saw  there  also  two  or  three  teachers  who  had 
always  taught  with  a  sad  countenance,  teaching,  not 
because  they  loved  to  teach,  but  because  it  was  their 
duty  to.  "  These,"  I  thought,  "  will  be  joyful,  now 
that  their  distasteful  task  is  over  and  their  reward  has 
come  " ;  but  when  I  could  see  their  faces  clearly  they 
looked  mournful  as  ever.  Their  crowns  were  ebon 
black,  pointed  with  little  urns  and  lined  with  crape, 
and  they  often  shifted  them,  pressing  their  hands 
gloomily  to  their  brows,  as  if  the  crowns  were  very 
ill  fitting  and  uncomfortable.  They  wore  them  with 
a  martyr's  air. 

There  were  several  teachers  whom  I  remembered 
with  gratitude  because  they  had  been  so  careful,  in 
teaching,  to  emphasize  always  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  Christianity.  These  doctrines  were  the  warp 
and  woof  of  the  solid  fabric  of  their  lessons.  Over 
and  over,  in  the  same  set  phrases,  they  pressed  those 
great  truths,  until,  strive  as  one  would,  one  could 
never  forget  them.  But  they  never  taught  me  the 
relation  between  these  blessed  doctrines  and  my  own 
life.  For  years  the  formulas  they  had  taught  me  re- 
mained for  me  mere  words.  And  so  I  was  not  at 
all  surprised  to  find  their  symbolic  crowns  solid  and 
rich,  but  not  attractive,  for  they  were  thickly  set  with 
jewels  in  the  rough.  Here  and  there,  from  beneath 
H 


Sunday-School  Success 

the  intrusting]  stone,  some  magnificent  gem  would 
flash  out,  'but  the  beauty  and  splendor  of  most  of 
them  were  hidden. 

In  my  fantastic  dream  I  saw  another,  who  had 
been  a  good  teacher  and  a  very  poor  one  by  turns. 
His  piety  and  zeal  were  subject  to  great  fluctuations, 
and  a  Sunday's  teaching  from  him,  carefully  thought 
out,  full  of  wise  helpfulness,  would  be  followed  by  a 
fortnight  or  more  of  questions  read  out  of  a  question- 
book,  lifeless  and  mechanical.  I  was  prepared, 
therefore,  to  understand  the  meaning  of  his  crown, 
which  bore  many  beautiful  gems,  but  these  gems 
gave  intermittent  light,  flashing  out  for  a  moment 
with  most  brilliant  hues,  then  suddenly  growing  dull 
and  dark. 

One  alone  of  all  I  saw  in  my  strange  dream  wore 
a  looking-glass  crown.  He  had  done  his  Sunday- 
school  teaching,  I  had  always  feared,  for  the  praise 
of  men,  to  be  seen  of  them.  His  attitude,  his  pom- 
pous words  and  gestures,  irresistibly  suggested  to 
me  always  the  posturing  of  an  actor  before  a  looking- 
glass.  And  so  his  crown  was  all  a  mirror— clear, 
bright,  beautiful,  but  mirroring  a  looking-glass  soul. 

And  now,  closing  the  long  procession,  who  are 
these  I  see?  A  thrice-blessed  band,  to  me  ever 
sacred.  There  is  the  cheery  little  matron  whose  brisk 
kindliness  gave  charm  to  my  introduction  into  Sun- 
day-school life.  There  is  the  quiet  and  low-voiced 
lady  whose  gentle  teachings  carried  me  many  a  step 
toward  my  Saviour.  There  is  the  thoughtful  and 


The  Teacher's  Crown 

saintly  woman  whose  prayers  for  the  school-boy  went 
up,  I  know,  night  and  morning ;  whose  urgings  were 
so  earnest,  brave,  and  wise.  And  there  is  the  noble- 
hearted  man,  familiar  with  a  young  collegian's  per- 
plexities, sympathetic  as  a  woman,  trustful  as  a  hero, 
strong  and  uplifting  in  word  and  friendly  deed.  I 
see  them  all,  and  from  their  glorified  heads  a  wonder 
shining,  a  crown  of  light,  beautiful  as  the  love-gleam 
from  a  mother's  eye.  And  every  one  of  the  crowd- 
ing star-points  of  those  crowns  is  for  a  life  won  to 
the  happy  service  of  the  Master. 

As  I  gazed  with  tear-dimmed  eyes  at  the  dear 
vision,  an  angel  stood  at  my  side  and  asked  me, 
"  What  are  all  these  thou  hast  seen?  "  "  Forms,"  I 
answered,  "  of  Christ's  teachers  I  have  met ;  of  my 
own  teachers,  these  last,  all  crowned  as  they  have 
taught."  "  Yes,"  answered  the  angel,  "  but  you  have 
seen  more  than  that.  You  have  seen  among  them 
the  crown  you  yourself  will  wear  when  your  teach- 
ing days  are  over.  Which  shall  it  be?  " 


Chapter  II 
Who  Should  Teach  in  the  Sunday-School  ? 

THE  Master,  who  loves  little  children,  stood  in  the 
Sunday-school  door  and  cried  to  all  that  came  up, 
"Who  will  teach  my  children  about  me?"  And 
they  all  with  one  consent  began  to  make  excuse. 

The  preacher  passing  by  said  with  conviction,  "  I 
have  my  sermons  to  preach,  and  Sunday-school  work 
distracts  my  thought  from  them."  Then  answered 
the  Master :  "  Crucify  your  pride  in  words,  and  seek 
the  glory  of  deeds.  This  is  your  true  sermon,  to 
bring  me  close  to  human  hearts.  Thus  did  I  most 
gladly  preach,  when  on  earth,  to  small  classes  and  not 
to  throngs.  Thus  should  my  ministers  most  gladly 
preach,  face  to  face,  one  to  half  a  dozen.  You  have 
many  pulpits  more  effective  than  the  elegantly  fur- 
nished one  to  which  you  mount  by  three  steps.  They 
are  the  bedside,  the  wayside,  the  prayer-meeting 
table,  the  Sunday-school  chair.  Lovest  thou  me? 
Feed  my  lambs." 

The  teacher,  when  invited,  shook  his  head  with  a 
14 


Who  Should  Teach  in  the  Sunday-School  ? 

sigh.  "I  teach  all  the  week,  and  I  am  so  tired! 
Why  should  I  not  rest  on  Sunday?  "  Then  answered 
the  Master:  "The  truest  rest  is  a  little  change  in 
work.  Your  Sunday-school  and  day-school  will  in- 
vigorate each  other.  It  is  I  who  have  given  you  the 
sweet  power  of  leading  young  lives.  Should  you  not 
use  it  in  leading  them  to  me?  Have  you  not  seen 
how  teaching  your  scholars  in  holy  things  the  first  day 
of  the  week  draws  them  closer  to  you  in  your  secular 
teaching  of  the  other  days?  Do  you  not  rejoice  in 
the  opportunity  this  work  gives  you  to  get  an  insight 
into  your  scholars'  characters  and  mold  them  more 
directly  than  by  the  roundabout  route  of  grammar 
and  geography?  Indeed,  if  I  excuse  any  from  my 
Sunday-school,  you,  to  whom  I  have  intrusted  in 
especial  measure  the  teaching  gift,  must  not  be 
the  one." 

The  business  man  rejected  the  proposal  with  em- 
phasis, saying :  "  As  a  matter  of  course,  Sunday-school 
teaching  is  quite  out  of  my  line.  My  days  are  kept 
in  close  contact  with  dull  matter,  with  cloth  and  coal 
and  wood  and  iron.  I  have  no  time  for  books,  ex- 
cept day-books  and  ledgers.  My  mechanical,  routine 
business  quite  unfits  me  for  religious  teaching."  To 
that  the  Master  replied,  smiling  kindly:  "I  was  a 
carpenter,  my  son,  but  holy  thoughts  kept  pace  with 
my  plane,  and  firm  conclusions  were  clinched  with 
my  hammer.  And  at  evening,  work  done,  I  found 
time  for  prayer  and  meditation  and  calling  young 
children  about  me  to  talk  with  them.  Your  contact 


Sunday-School  Success 

with  men  and  things  makes  you  one  of  the  most 
valuable  of  Sunday-school  teachers.  What  parables 
are  acted  all  around  you,  in  nature,  in  your  work,  in 
the  lives  of  your  helpers!  What  illustrations  lie 
heaped  up  in  your  business  experience,  ready  to  your 
hand!  Most  of  these  young  people  in  my  Sunday- 
school  will  choose  some  business  like  yours.  How 
happy  for  them,  then,  if  they  could  have  you  to  tell 
them  beforehand  of  its  perils,  strengthen  them  for  its 
difficulties,  point  them  the  road  to  success  and  true 
happiness!  No;  I  can  better  miss  preacher  and 
teacher  from  my  Sunday-school  than  you  mea  of 
affairs." 

Then  came  the  care-worn  housewife.  "  Master," 
said  she,  "  I  am  perplexed  and  troubled  about  many 
things.  My  days,  and  often  my  nights,  are  crowded 
with  a  woman's  myriad  unheralded  tasks.  The 
children  are  ever  with  me.  Why  need  I  go  to  Sun- 
day-school to  teach  them?  Why  not  each  home  the 
mother's  Sunday-school?"  "Why  not  each  home 
the  prayer-meeting?  "  the  Master  asked  her.  "  There 
come  from  numbers  an  interest,  a  help  and  inspira- 
tion, which  you  cannot  get  in  the  holiest  family  circle, 
and  which  you  dare  not  miss.  And  what  of  the  little 
ones  whose  mothers  are  less  faithful  than  you  ?  Have 
you  no  love  to  spare  for  them?  I  have  implanted  in 
the  very  nature  of  you  mothers  my  most  earnest  call 
to  Sunday-school  teaching.  What  is  it?  The  great- 
est love  of  little  children." 

And  then  came  up  two  young  people,  a  youth  and 
16 


Who  Should  Teach  in  the  Sunday-School  ? 

a  maiden,  and  said  to  the  Master:  "We  are  too 
young.  We  have  had  as  yet  no  wonderful  experience. 
We  know  nothing  of  death,  of  disease,  of  great  sor- 
rows, of  heavy  responsibilities.  We  are  not  wise  in 
these  high  matters.  We  do  not  understand  theology. 
We  cannot  teach."  "Why,"  answered  the  Master, 
"  neither  do  my  little  ones  in  the  Sunday-school  want 
to  know  about  death  or  disease  or  heavy  responsi- 
bilities. I  would  not  have  them  taught  what  you 
think  of  as  theology.  But  you  are  wiser  than  they. 
You  see  beyond  their  little  worries  and  mysteries. 
Help  them  to  your  own  measure  of  grace  and  strength, 
and  as  you  teach  and  they  grow,  will  not  you  grow, 
too,  for  further  teaching  ever?  No,  my  young  man 
and  maid,  with  your  ardent  and  fresh-hearted  zeal ; 
you  can  come  very  close  to  my  little  children,  and  I 
cannot  spare  you  from  my  Sunday-school." 

Long  stood  the  Master  there  by  the  door  of  the 
Sunday-school,  and  many  were  those  whom  he  called 
to  the  work,  and  many  excuses  were  made.  One 
pleaded  ignorance.  "But,"  gently  questioned  the 
Master,  "have  you  a  mind,  to  learn?"  One  urged 
timidity.  "  But  I  will  be  with  you,"  said  the  Master. 
"  There  are  others  who  can  do  it  better,"  insisted  one. 
"  Will  you  not  get  them  to  do  it,  then?  "  begged  the 
Master.  "  And  if  they  will  not  do  it,  then  you  will 
be  the  best,  and  cannot  refuse." 

It  was  not  long  before  a  strong  little  group  stood 
by  the  Master's  side,  ready  for  service,  and  as  the 
regular  teachers  of  the  school  came  up,  the  Lord  of 
17 


Sunday-School  Success 

whom  they  taught  received  them  lovingly,  or  sadly 
turned  them  back.  As  hard-faced,  unsympathetic 
Mr.  Grim  would  enter— he  whom  all  the  children  fear 
and  elders  do  not  love ;  he  to  whom  a  boy  is  only  the 
necessary  inconvenient  early  stage  of  a  man,  of  prom- 
ise only  as  he  can  commit  to  memory  Bible  verses — 
when  he  would  enter  the  Master  turned  him  back. 
"  You  must  not  teach  my  children,"  said  the  blessed 
One,  "until  you  become  as  a  little  child." 

He  barred  out  also  Mr.  Brainy,  whose  ideal  recita- 
tion is  an  argument,  and  whose  scholars  are  far  more 
familiar  with  points  of  skeptical  controversy  than 
with  the  Bible.  He  would  not  admit  Miss  Tangent, 
whose  sole  preparation  for  the  lesson  is  the  culling 
from  her  book  of  extracts  of  choice  sentiments,  pretty 
fables,  and  striking  bits  of  verse  of  mysterious  rele- 
vancy, which  she  recites  for  her  scholars'  admiration, 
and  makes  them  learn.  He  turned  back  also  Mrs. 
Scold,  with  her  sharp  tongue  and  cold  eyes.  He 
rejected  Mrs.  Job,  who  taught  only  from  a  sense  of 
duty,  and  only  with  a  long  face. 

But  ah,  the  warm  smile,  the  eager  greeting,  with 
which  the  Master  welcomed  the  school's  workers! 
There  was  Jack  Manly,  who  had  not  waited  for  the 
desire  to  begin  teaching,  but  had  seen  the  need  and 
filled  it,  not  knowing  how  soon  and  largely  the  love 
for  the  work  would  come  and  grow.  There  was  Lucy 
Gentle,  who  did  not  feel  able  to  teach,  yet  considered, 
not  her  ability,  but  the  need,  knowing  that  duty  is 
measured  rather  by  the  seeing  eye  than  by  the  feeble 
18 


Who  Should  Teach  in  the  Sunday-School  ? 

hand.  There  was  Mrs.  Patient,  who  had  hesitated 
to  begin  the  work  because  of  her  ignorance  of  the 
Bible,  but  who  by  quiet  and  faithful  study  for  her 
class  had  become  a  wise  and  thorough  scholar  of  the 
Word.  There  was  old  Squire  Greatheart,  who  taught 
a  group  of  full-grown  men  and  women  whom  he  had 
gathered  into  a  class  when  they  were  boys  and 
girls,  and  had  led  ever  since  in  hard  study  of  God's 
Book. 

There  were  many  others  whom  the  Master  received, 
of  many  varied  talents,  for  the  Sunday-school  can 
use  a  wide  range  of  powers;  but  all  were  alike  in 
consciousness  of  their  weakness  compared  with  the 
greatness  of  their  task,  in  willingness  to  resign  their 
work  to  any  better  able  who  could  be  got  to  take  it, 
in  gladness  to  go  on  with  it  if  their  betters  would  not 
assume  it,  relying  for  success  on  the  God  of  it.  Their 
credentials  were  that  they  saw  the  need  of  the  work, 
that  they  saw  their  own  unfitness  to  do  it,  that  they 
knew  their  fitness  and  power  were  assured  when  God 
assigned  the  task. 

Thus  the  Master  chose  his  teachers  and  blessed 
them ;  and  though  there  was  no  genius  there,  no  mighty 
mind,  no  trained  skill,  but  only  humble  readiness  to 
serve,  he  poured  out  on  them  the  fullness  of  his  love 
and  power,  and  they  left  the  Sunday-school  room 
ever  bearing  precious  sheaves. 

That  is  the  end  of  my  parable.  Oh  that  all  might 
know,  as  we,  dear  fellow-teachers,  know  it,  the  joy  of 
our  Sunday-school  ministry!  Then  superintendents 


Sunday-School  Success 

would  have  no  search  to  find  teachers,  no  trouble  to 
keep  them.  Then  to  the  enlarging  band  of  teachers 
would  come  a  constantly  enlarging  band  of  scholars, 
and  all  together  would  soon  bring  the  multitudes  of 
the  world  into  the  host  of  the  redeemed. 


Chapter  III 
Preparing  the  Lesson 

SOME  teachers  think  that  preparing  the  lesson  is 
merely  the  loading  of  a  cannon  with  powder,  that  it 
may  go  off  with  a  big  bang  in  the  presence  of  ad- 
miring scholars.  And  the  more  powder,  the  bigger 
bang.  So  they  load  up  with  scintillating  similes,  and 
pretty  parables,  and  striking  stories. 

Other  teachers  have  set  up  some  historical  or 
theological  or  ethical  target-board  off  at  a  distance 
from  their  class,  and  load  their  cannon  with  ball,  that 
their  scholars  may  see  how  accurate  is  their  aim  and 
how  fairly  they  can  hit  the  bull's-eye.  So  they  prepare 
a  mass  of  facts  and  figures,  arguments  and  evidences. 

But  the  wise  teacher  rejects  in  toto  the  cannon  no- 
tion. He  sees  in  each  lesson  a  ledge  of  that  grand 
mountain  of  life— of  Christ-serving,  strong  life— up 
to  which  he  must  lead  his  little  band,  on  which  he 
must  plant  their  feet  so  firmly  that  they  may  not  slip 
back  during  the  six  days'  interval,  but  may  be  ready 
for  the  next  fair  terrace,  and  the  next. 

21 


Sunday-School  Success 

So  the  wise  teacher,  in  preparing  the  lesson,  knows 
that  he  must  first  reach  that  ledge  himself ;  must  re- 
peat the  journey  over  and  over  until  he  has  learned 
the  easiest  way  for  little  feet ;  must  make  ladders  with 
rounds  close  together ;  must  spread  sand  on  slippery 
places  and  stretch  ropes  along  the  edge  of  the  cliff. 
He,  too,  lays  in  supplies  of  stories  and  pretty  parables, 
not,  however,  in  the  form  of  powder,  to  make  a  show, 
but  (if  this  is  not  too  severe  a  twist  of  the  simile)  as 
dainty  food  to  keep  the  young  travelers  fresh  and 
hearty.  He,  too,  has  facts  and  figures  and  arguments 
and  evidences,  not,  however,  as  cannon-balls,  but  in 
the  shape  of  iron  bridges  and  railings  and  ropes,  that 
the  way  may  be  solid  and  safe. 

There  are  some  teachers  that  do  not  study  at  all. 
It  is  as  if  a  will-o'-the-wisp  should  undertake  to  guide 
one  on  an  important  journey.  Those  teachers  are 
going  they  know  not  whither,  over  they  know  not 
what  road,  for  what  purpose  they  have  not  the  slight- 
est idea,  and  land  always  in  a  bog. 

Emphatically,  the  teacher  that  is  not  always  climb- 
ing himself  will  leave  his  class  on  a  very  dead  level 
indeed.  He  should  be  reaching  down  and  pulling 
them  up,  but  he  is  soon  compelled  to  stand  where 
they  are  and  push,  and  ends  with  believing  his  "  level 
best "  to  lie  along  the  smooth  road  of  the  easy-going 
valley. 

The  teacher  who  ceases  to  grow  ceases  to  teach. 
That  is  why  a  Sunday-school  lesson  cannot  be 
crammed.  That  is  why  preparation  for  it  must  ex- 


Preparing  the  Lesson 

tend  all  through  the  week.  Growth  cannot  be  ordered 
offhand.  It  comes  from  Father  Time's  shop,  and 
he  is  a  deliberate  workman.  You  will  lose  your  hold 
on  your  class  if  each  Sunday  hour  does  not  begin 
with  you  a  little  above  them,  and  end  with  them  at 
your  level.  This  advance  cannot  be  won  Saturday 
night,  or  during  the  space  between  the  first  and  sec- 
ond bells  for  Sunday-school.  Such  a  spasmodic  leap 
ahead  will  leave  you  too  much  out  of  breath  even  to 
tell  them  to  come  on. 

Dropping  metaphor,  of  which  we  may  have  had 
too  much,  there  are  several  substantial  reasons  why 
the  Sunday-school  preparation  should  extend  over  the 
seven  days  of  the  week.  Thus  only  can  you  utilize 
in  the  Master's  work  odd  bits  of  time,  your  Bible  on 
the  bureau  while  you  dress,  in  your  hands  on  the 
street-cars  or  while  you  wait  for  the  meat  to  be  cooked. 
There  are  many  Bible  verses  which  should  be  carefully 
committed  to  memory  in  connection  with  each  lesson, 
as  the  teacher's  best  reliance  for  commentary  and  in- 
spiration. These  verses  should  be  running  through 
our  heads  as  we  run  on  all  our  six-day  tasks,  and 
should  sing  themselves  to  all  our  labor-tunes.  But 
chiefly,  it  is  only  in  this  way  that  we  can  accumulate 
hints,  and  grow  into  the  truths  of  the  lesson  by  ex- 
perience. With  the  lesson  theme  for  a  nucleus,  it  is 
astounding  to  see  what  a  wealth  of  illustration,  of 
wise  and  helpful  comment,  each  day's  living  thrusts 
upon  us.  Every  event  is  a  picture  of  some  truth  which 
needs  only  a  sensitive  plate  to  be  photographed  forever. 
23 


Sunday-School  Success 

That  sensitive  plate  is  a  mind  which  is  studying  that 
particular  truth. 

How  much  time  do  you  spend  in  studying  your 
Sunday-school  lesson?  You  see  that  no  true  teacher 
can  answer  that  question,  any  more  than  the  poet  can 
tell  how  long  he  is  in  writing  his  poem.  This  is  the 
inspirational  part  of  the  teacher's  work,  and  not  the 
mechanical  part,  and  his  brooding  will  have  issue  of 
life  just  in  proportion  as  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  his 
heart.  But  along  with  this  lofty  work  must  go  lower 
processes,  of  which  it  is  far  easier  to  speak.  I  mean 
those  lower  processes  which  alone  we  are  likely  to  call 
"studying."  Permit  me  to  lay  down  a  programme 
for  the  study  of  a  Sunday-school  lesson. 

To  begin  with,  let  it  be  always  with  pencil  in  hand. 
You  have  seen  iron  filings  scattered  in  rough  confusion 
over  a  sheet  of  glass.  And  then,  when  the  magnet 
was  placed  beneath,  you  have  seen  those  ugly  bits 
of  metal  dance  into  the  daintiest  designs,  fairy  curves 
and  most  symmetrical  figures.  Such  a  delightful 
magnet  is  a  pencil  or  a  pen  for  all  the  disordered 
thoughts  and  fancies  of  our  brains.  Next  to  the  Bible, 
the  Sunday-school  teacher's  inseparable  companion 
should  be  a  lead-pencil. 

What  book  is  nearest  you  while  you  study  your 
lesson?  Teachers  may  be  classified  finally  by  their 
answers  to  that  question.  Is  it  the  commentary, 
the  atlas,  the  Bible  dictionary,  the  concordance,  the 
question-book,  or  the  Bible?  If  the  commentary, 
your  comments  will  fall  fruitless  to  the  ground.  If 
24 


Preparing  the  Lesson 

the  atlas,  your  class  will  wander  nowhither.  If  the 
Bible  dictionary,  your  diction  will  have  no  issue  in 
deed.  If  the  concordance,  your  class  will  know  little 
from  you  of  that  concord  which  passes  understanding. 
If  the  question-book,  the  value  of  all  your  study  is 
at  least  questionable.  No ;  let  me  emphasize  this 
statement :  Not  a  single  lesson  help  should  be  touched 
until  everything  possible  to  be  learned  about  the  lesson 
from  the  Bible  directly  has  been  learned. 

For  this  you  will  need  two  Bibles  at  least,  one  to 
be  kept  open  at  the  lesson,  one  to  turn  back  and  forth 
in  pursuit  of  references  and  information.  The  first 
must  be  a  King  James  reference  Bible ;  the  second,  the 
noble  translation  of  Victoria's  reign.  Thus  furnished, 
read  the  lesson.  As  you  read,  examine  your  mind. 
What  questions  assail  it?  Those  moments  are  full 
of  matter.  Those  questions  are  the  clues  to  the  les- 
son labyrinth.  Those  perplexities  constitute  your  pro- 
gramme. "  I  wonder  where  this  place  is?  "  you  will 
say  to  yourself.  "  Who  was  this  man,  and  what  was 
his  past  history,  that  he  did  this  deed?  What  does 
this  odd  phrase  mean?  Is  that  sentiment  a  just  one? 
Is  that  act  a  model  for  us  modern  folk?  " 

As  these  difficulties  come  up  in  your  slow  and 
thoughtful  reading,  jot  them  down,  and  the  resultant 
half-sheet  of  scribbling  means  half  the  work  accom- 
plished. But  hold !  Did  you  read  through  a  child's 
eye  as  well  as  your  own?  Did  you  read  in  the  plural 
number?  If  not,  you  must  read  the  lesson  once  more, 
with  a  poet's  imagination  noting  this  time  the  diffi- 
25 


Sunday-School  Success 

culties  which  you  strode  easily  over,  but  which  would 
soon  trip  up  little  feet.  When  you  write  down  such 
points  on  your  paper,  underscore  them.  And  under- 
score them  again.  A  vast  deal  of  preparation  for 
teaching  is  fruitless  because  it  is  made  in  the  singular 
number. 

The  next  stage  in  our  lesson  study  will  be  to  answer 
our  questions.  Points  in  regard  to  antecedents  and 
motives  will  be  answered  by  the  chapters  intervening 
between  the  last  lesson  and  this.  Those  should  next 
be  read.  Many  difficulties  concerning  customs  and 
laws  will  be  cleared  up  by  parallel  passages  and  the 
references  of  your  reference  Bible.  Those  same  ref- 
erences will  collate  for  you  helpful  utterances  on  the 
ethical  problems  of  the  passage.  Comparatively  few 
people  know,  by  the  way,  how  nearly  a  reference  Bible 
allows  one  to  dispense  with  the  Bible  dictionary,  Bible 
index,  concordance,  and  commentary.  I  am  contin- 
ually astonished  to  see  how  few  are  the  questions 
which  may  be  asked  about  a  passage  that  the  Bible 
itself  does  not  answer  if  closely  scrutinized. 

"  But  all  this  is  a  waste  of  time,"  you  object.  "  In 
the  lesson  helps  all  of  these  points  are  stated  and 
discussed,  fully,  methodically,  concisely.  Others 
have  done  this  work  for  me,  anticipating  all  my  diffi- 
culties. Why  need  I  repeat  their  labor?"  Surely 
not  merely  to  be  original.  There's  too  much  original 
work  crying  to  be  done  to  waste  a  moment  in  dupli- 
cating unnecessarily  work  already  done  for  us.  But 
the  Bible  study  cannot  be  done  for  you.  It  must 
26 


Preparing  the  Lesson 

end  in  familiarity  with  the  Bible,  in  appreciation  of 
it,  in  a  wide-awake  understanding  of  the  problems  it 
presents,  to  be  obtained  in  no  way  except  by  original 
work.  If  difficulties  are  solved  before  we  have  felt 
them  to  be  difficulties,  if  customs  and  phrases  are  ex- 
plained before  we  have  discovered  the  need  of  an  ex- 
planation, and  places  located  before  we  fall  to  grop- 
ing after  them,  it  is  the  old  story  of  "  light  won,  light 
lost."  And  so  I  wish  to  repeat  that  the  one  proper 
commencement  of  study  of  a  Bible  lesson  is  the  Bible, 
and  the  Bible,  and  the  Bible ;  once  to  note  our  own 
questions,  once  to  imagine  our  scholars'  questions, 
and  once,  in  large  measure,  here,  there,  and  every- 
where, concordance,  index,  references,  and  atlas  at 
our  elbow,  to  answer,  if  it  may  be,  from  the  Book  itself 
all  the  questions  it  has  raised. 

And  when  this  is  done,  even  if  every  question  has 
been  answered,  open  arms  to  the  commentaries  and 
the  lesson  helps,  the  wisest  and  richest  you  can  find, 
and  as  many  as  you  have  time  for.  Why?  Because 
twenty  heads  are  better  than  one ;  because  the  Hebrew 
and  Greek  and  travel  and  debate  and  experience  and 
insight  and  spirituality  of  our  best  thinkers  will  sug- 
gest new  points  of  view,  add  a  world  of  illustration, 
may  even  upset  some  of  your  conclusions.  Stand 
sturdily,  however,  in  the  presence  of  these  learned 
doctors.  You  will  be  tempted  to  throw  away  your 
own  honest  results  and  adopt  their  wise  and  brilliant 
homilies.  If  you  do,  your  class  will  laugh  at  you,  or 
yawn.  You  will  be  giving  them,  not  your  life,  but 
27 


Sunday-School  Success 

your  rhetoric.  These  helps  are  for  inspiration,  not 
respiration  and  circulation.  They  are  for  hints  toward 
originality,  not  hindrances.  They  are  useful  in 
strengthening  your  own  thought,  vivifying  your  own 
feeling,  confirming  your  own  conclusions,  opening 
new  vistas  for  your  own  exploration,  suggesting 
methods  for  your  own  practice. 

If  these  two  lines  of  preparation  have  been  faith- 
fully carried  out,  you  will  by  this  time  have  accu- 
mulated a  mass  of  material  which  will  be  confusing, 
and  the  third  step  is  to  reduce  it  to  order.  Long 
practice  has  convinced  me  of  the  utility  of  the  plan 
of  writing  out  questions.  Whether  these  questions 
are  used  in  the  class  or  not,  they  clarify  the  subject 
marvelously,  and  the  mere  drill  of  writing  them  adds 
fifty  per  cent,  to  the  teaching  power  of  the  instructor. 
When  I  began  trying  it,  I  was  astonished  to  see  how 
many  thoughts  which  seemed  to  me  quite  promising 
and  bright  could  not  be  approached  by  the  interrog- 
ative mood.  I  wanted  to  lead  up  to  this  simile,  that 
illustration,  this  theory,  that  pretty  idea.  I  would 
soon  find  that  my  questions  refused  to  lead  up  to  them 
naturally.  Why?  Simply  because  these  fancies  an- 
swered no  query  likely  to  rise,  solved  no  difficulty  likely 
to  suggest  itself,  and  were  mere  adventitious  decora- 
tions wherewith  I  had  been  accustomed  to  load  my 
Sunday-school  teaching,  to  show  off. 

My  attempt  at  formulating  questions  soon  taught 
me,  too,  that  I  had  been  indulging  in  monologue.  I 
found  it  unexpectedly  difficult  to  frame  a  question— 
28 


Preparing  the  Lesson 

one,  that  is,  which  required  the  scholar  to  do  some 
thinking  to  answer.  I  discovered  that  I  had  been  in 
the  habit  of  propounding  "  yes  "  and  "  no  "  queries, 
merely  as  excuses  for  five-minute  orations. 

Then,  too,  when  I  began  to  put  down  in  black  and 
white  just  what  I  expected  to  put  into  that  precious 
half-hour,  I  wondered  what  I  had  been  doing  with  it 
hitherto.  By  my  previous  methods  two  or  three  little 
notions  would  keep  me  going  through  the  whole  thirty 
minutes ;  but  ideas  do  shrink  so  when  you  put  them 
on  paper  with  a  question-mark  at  the  end!  It  is 
wonderful  how  many  questions  can  be  asked  and 
answered  in  half  an  hour.  I  gained  a  new  concep- 
tion of  the  value  of  time,  and  of  the  teaching  value 
of  study  hours. 

In  writing  out  these  questions,  then,  the  first  thing 
to  be  thought  of  is  that  consideration  with  which  a 
good  teacher  will  begin  his  lesson,  but  a  poor  teacher 
will  close :  "  What  is  the  main  teaching  of  the  lesson?  " 
— as  important,  this  "  main  teaching,"  as  the  compass 
to  the  sailor.  What  particular  characteristic  of  God's 
noblemen  is  this  lesson  to  strengthen  in  my  scholars? 
Every  teacher  should  know  the  power  which  is  given 
by  an  ultimatum ;  by  a  decision,  that  is,  as  to  the  one 
thing  which,  no  matter  what  else  it  wins  or  fails  to 
win,  that  lesson  must  accomplish.  Is  it  to  make  my 
boys  and  girls  more  truthful,  more  brave,  more  cheery, 
more  trusting?  Whatever  the  point  be,  about  that 
shall  cluster  the  questions,  the  illustrations,  the  argu- 
ments. Countries,  customs,  times,  history,  shall  be 
29 


Sunday-School  Success 

only  its  framework.  There  must  be  other  points,  to 
be  sure,  but  merely  as  side  excursions,  from  which 
we  return  with  greater  zeal  to  this  our  main  quest. 
Those  subordinate  points  we  next  determine,  and  the 
order  in  which  we  shall  treat  them,  and  then  sit  down 
to  write  out  our  questions. 

Does  all  this  seem  too  mechanical,  this  writing  out 
questions,  and  determining  point  by  point  just  what 
results  you  will  seek,  and  in  what  order?  It  is  busi- 
nesslike ;  it  is  mechanical.  Why  are  we  so  afraid  of 
mechanism  in  bringing  hearts  to  the  great  Mechanic, 
without  whom  was  nothing  made  that  has  been  made? 
A  machine  is  merely  a  contrivance  for  applying  power 
effectively,  and  the  only  question  should  be,  Does  this 
machinery  make  my  aim  more  direct,  widen  and 
deepen  the  range  of  my  efforts?  It  is  a  grand  and 
godlike  thing  to  be  mechanical,  but  it  is  a  pitifully 
weak  thing  to  stop  with  being  mechanical.  Machi- 
nery accomplishes  all  the  work  that  is  being  done  any- 
where, but  it  is  machinery  informed  by  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Our  lesson  preparation  will  be  in  harmony  with  all 
of  God's  preparing  if  it  is  orderly,  painstaking,  and 
definite,  binding  together,  however,  all  its  labored 
details  with  the  sweet  and  creative  spirit  of  prayer. 
Machinery  touched  by  prayer  is  always  the  machi- 
nery in  which,  as  in  the  old  Greek  plays,  the  god  de- 
scends. Nothing  is  mechanical,  everything  is  poeti- 
cal and  spiritual,  that  can  be  prayed  over. 

But  will  not  all  this  take  time — all  this  ransacking 
of  the  Bible,  original  study,  writing  out  of  questions, 
30 


Preparing  the  Lesson 

and  formulating  plans?  Of  course  it  will.  Time  is 
what  good  things  are  made  of— time  and  toil.  It 
would  be  strange  if  the  best  of  good  things,  the  sanc- 
tification  of  lives,  did  not  take  time  and  toil.  But 
let  us  remember  two  facts :  one,  that  this  work,  being 
thorough  work,  need  not  be  done  twice.  Seven  years 
of  such  Bible  study  as  I  have  indicated,  and  what 
a  magnificently  trained  teacher  you  will  be,  ready, 
all  ready,  for  the  next  International  Lesson  cycle,  the 
next  Sunday-school  Sabbath  of  years!  We  Sunday- 
school  teachers  have  enlisted  for  life.  It  is  so  much 
wiser,  then,  to  study  for  life.  And  in  the  second  place, 
familiarity  with  this  thoroughgoing  way  of  working 
makes  it  much  easier  and  more  rapid  than  at  first. 
We  no  longer  have  to  use  the  concordance,  but  mem- 
ory supplies  passages  needed  for  illustration.  Bible 
customs  are  soon  learned.  The  peculiarities  of  Bible 
language  are  readily  mastered.  The  poetic  instinct 
which  sees  parables  and  applications  grows  with  its 
use  until  they  crowd  upon  you  and  must  be  critically 
culled.  Nothing  ends  easy  but  that  which  begins 
hard. 

After  all,  however,  these  are  the  lower  motives. 
What  matters  it  even  if  the  preparation  for  this  blessed 
work  remains  hard  to  our  last  Sabbath?  Let  it  be 
the  best  we  know,  and  on  that  last  Sabbath,  if  God 
has  given  us  the  knowledge  that  even  one  soul  has 
been  turned  to  the  supreme  happiness  by  all  our  toil, 
we  shall  deem  it  rich  reward. 


Chapter  IV 
Something  about  Teachers'  Meetings 

THE  teachers'  meeting  is  not  so  much  to  get  facts 
as  to  vivify  and  arrange  them.  The  leader  does  not 
teach  the  lesson  unless  he  teaches  how  to  teach  the 
lesson.  This  is  a  place  for  comparison. 

The  meeting  is  perhaps  less  to  make  plans  for  the 
teachers  than  to  stimulate  them  to  make  good  plans 
for  themselves.  The  gathering  is  not  to  listen  to  a 
lecture.  You  cannot  make  teachers,  except  by  the 
Socratic  method.  A  teachers'  meeting  is  not  a  Bible 
class. 

The  ideal  teachers'  meeting  focuses  on  the  work  of 
each  the  helpfulness  and  skill  of  all.  The  leader, 
then,  must  put  into  the  meeting  every  one's  peculiar 
talent,  and  must  draw  out  from  the  meeting  for  every 
one's  peculiar  need.  And  do  not — as  so  many 
teachers'  meetings  do— let  the  teachers  for  the  older 
classes  run  away  with  the  evening. 

The  right  kind  of  teachers'  meeting  keeps  itself  up 
and  keeps  up  the  teachers.  It  "draws,"  because  it 
32 


Something  about  Teachers'  Meetings 

is  attractive.  The  only  way  to  build  up  an  attendance 
is  to  build  up  the  interest  of  the  meeting  to  be  at- 
tended. Nevertheless,  attention  to  a  few  bits  of  de- 
tail will  greatly  assist  in  building  up  the  attendance. 
Have  a  constitution,  a  full  set  of  officers,  and  stated 
business  meetings.  Make  the  teachers  feel  that  they 
"  belong."  Many  a  teachers'  meeting  goes  to  pieces 
for  lack  of  something  to  tie  to.  Cultivate  the  feeling 
of  responsibility.  Insist  on  rotation  in  office.  Give 
every  teacher  possible  some  regular  duty,  if  only  to 
pass  the  hymn-books.  Once  a  year  at  least  let  the 
teachers'  meeting  have  a  field  day.  Get  up  its  finest 
programme,  with  a  special  view  to  interesting  the 
entire  church  in  Sunday-school  work.  Then  invite 
the  entire  church  to  hear  it.  Such  an  open  meeting 
should  come  just  before  the  beginning  of  a  new  line 
of  study. 

The  teachers'  meeting,  in  many  small  places,  will  be 
a  union  meeting,  of  all  the  evangelical  churches,  and 
sometimes  of  neighboring  churches  in  cities.  What 
finer  close  to  a  year's  harmonious  work  than  for  all 
the  teachers  of  this  union  meeting  to  sit  down  to 
dinner  together  at  a  genuine  love-feast! 

Attendance  is  in  many  cases  increased  by  provid- 
ing a  variety  of  leaders.  The  brightest  of  men  be- 
comes wearisome  ere  long ;  his  methods  grow  familiar. 
The  heart  of  the  teachers'  meeting  is  the  programme 
committee,  ever  pumping  in  fresh  blood.  Arrange 
with  neighboring  towns  for  the  loan  or  exchange  of 
helpful  leaders. 

33 


Sunday-School  Success 

There  is  a  certain  gain  in  a  uniform  programme 
for  the  hour,  so  that  historical  explanations,  difficult 
exegesis,  blackboard  work,  plans  for  the  little  folks, 
lesson  analysis,  and  so  on,  may  be  taken  up  in  a  uni- 
form order  each  evening.  This  will  insure  against 
the  omission  of  any  line  of  work. 

Let  one  teacher— a  new  one  for  each  quarter— be 
appointed  to  present  within  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  an 
outline  of  work  for  the  younger  classes.  If  this 
teacher  cannot  draw,  an  assistant  should  be  appointed 
who  can.  The  remainder  of  the  time,  after  these 
regular  exercises  are  over,  will  be  at  the  disposal  of 
the  leader  of  the  evening,  who  will  treat  the  lesson  in 
general.  Some  such  combination  of  permanent  with 
changing  leadership  will  be  found  exceedingly  helpful 
and  attractive. 

Who  should  lead  the  teachers'  meeting?  Teachers. 
Not  exhorters ;  not  conversational  monopolists ;  not 
lecturers ;  not  the  most  learned  doctor  of  divinity  who 
is  not  also  a  teacher.  None  of  these,  but  teachers. 
The  obscure  layman,  if  he  knows  how  to  ask  wise 
questions.  No  one  for  compliment,  no  one  for  cus- 
tom, but  every  one  for  practical  utility,  for  learning 
how  to  teach. 

See  that  the  meeting  begins  on  time,  whether  the 
leader  is  ready  or  not,  and  even  if  no  audience  is 
present.  There  will  be  an  improvement  next  time. 
Promptness  begets  promptness.  And  let  the  meeting 
close  on  time,  though  in  the  midst  of  the  most  interest- 
ing discussion.  All  the  better  to  leave  a  little  interest 
34 


Something  about  Teachers'  Meetings 

as  a  nest-egg.  Open  with  prayer.  Some  teachers' 
meetings  also  open  with  singing.  One  verse  is  better 
than  two. 

It  is  useful  to  read  the  lesson  text  in  the  meeting, 
provided  the  reading  is  made  to  teach  something. 
The  manner  should  be  varied.  Let  the  leader  re- 
quest the  teachers  to  take  up  the  reading  whenever  he 
stops,  and  let  him  stop  at  eccentric  places,  to  hold 
attention.  Let  the  teachers  read  each  verse  in  the 
King  James  Version,  the  leader  responding  with  the 
Revision.  In  a  passage  where  description  or  narra- 
tive alternates  with  speeches,  let  the  leader  read  the 
speeches  only,  the  audience  inserting  the  narrative. 
Divide  the  lesson  into  sections  that  will  analyze  the 
thought  or  the  story,  and  read  these  sections  alter, 
nately,  the  leader  prefacing  each  with  a  suggestive 
title.  Divide  the  teachers  into  two  portions,— right  and 
left,  front  and  back,— and  let  them  read  antiphonally. 
Let  the  leader  read  the  entire  lesson,  injecting  crisp 
comments  carefully  prepared  beforehand,  these  com- 
ments being  all  in  one  line— exegetical,  historical,  ex- 
planatory of  customs  or  of  phrases.  Let  the  leader 
prepare  a  set  of  questions,  one  to  be  answered  by  each 
verse,  and  to  serve  as  an  introduction  to  it  as  the 
teachers  read.  In  studying  the  Gospels,  whenever  the 
lesson  would  be  made  clearer  by  it,  read,  instead  of 
the  regular  text,  the  same  passage  as  a  monotessaron 
gives  it,  combined  with  all  that  is  found  in  the  other 
Gospels.  Such  ancient  books  as  "  The  Teaching  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles"  or  "The  Apocryphal  Gospel 
35 


Sunday-School  Success 

of  St.  Peter  "  may  often  furnish  a  suggestive  extract 
to  add  to  this  opening  reading. 

The  work  of  the  teachers'  meeting  will  largely  be 
cut  out  for  it  at  the  outset,  if  the  leader  knows  his  busi- 
ness. Announce  your  programme,  if  you  want  help 
in  carrying  it  out.  What  wonder  the  meeting  runs 
off  the  leader's  track,  when  the  track  is  invisible  to  all 
but  the  leader !  "  First,"  says  the  experienced  teacher, 
"we'll  form  a  scheme  for  our  guidance  in  study; 
second,  we'll  go  over  the  story  of  the  lesson  in  a  pre- 
liminary survey;  third,  we'll  take  up  the  words, 
phrases,  customs,  and  circumstances  that  need  ex- 
planation ;  fourth,  we'll  discuss  the  best  way  of  teach- 
ing the  lesson  to  the  younger  scholars ;  finally,  we'll 
bring  out  points  for  the  older  members  of  the  school." 

Many  meetings  fray  out  at  the  end.  Nothing  is 
finished,  or  at  best  there  are  only  a  few  hasty  answers 
to  the  stereotyped  question,  "  Now  what  do  you  con- 
sider the  chief  teachings  of  this  lesson?  "  If  it  has 
not  been  made  evident  before  the  meeting  was  half 
through  what  are  the  chief  teachings  of  that  lesson,  it 
surely  will  not  be  made  evident  by  this  hurried  ques- 
tion, whose  answers  are  punctuated  by  the  donning 
of  overcoats.  If  the  leader  began  with  a  good  out- 
line, now  is  the  time  to  clinch  the  discussions  of  the 
evening  by  repeating  the  outline,  enlarged  and  modi- 
fied as  those  discussions  may  have  required.  Then 
let  the  evening  be  closed  reverently  with  a  few  words 
of  earnest  prayer. 

As  to  the  general  conduct  of  the  meeting,  probably 
36 


Something  about  Teachers'  Meetings 

the  matter  most  necessary  to  be  urged  is  the  use  of 
direct,  brisk,  suggestive  questions,  addressed,  not  to 
empty  space,  but  to  particular  teachers.  A  question 
spread  over  a  roomful  is  about  as  efficient  as  a  bullet 
would  be  if  fired  flat  enough  to  cover  ten  men.  Don't 
be  afraid  to  use  proper  names.  Questions  addressed 
to  a  crowd  put  a  premium  on  forwardness.  Call  no 
one  by  name  who  is  really  too  bashful  to  reply,  but 
teachers  ought  to  pass  by  that  stage  of  timidity. 

A  second  common  mistake  is  to  run  the  teachers' 
meeting  on  the  low  plane  of  mere  facts,  history,  biog- 
graphy,  when  it  should  be  all  aglow  with  the  spiritual 
life.  If  the  teachers'  meeting  does  not  touch  the 
teachers'  consciences,  hardly  will  those  teachers  touch 
the  consciences  of  their  scholars.  Let  the  leader  ask 
at  every  turn  this  question  in  effect :  "  What  need  of 
your  scholars'  lives  will  this  truth  fit?"  And  he 
should  not  rest  satisfied  until  the  truth  is  applied  in 
turn  to  the  diverse  needs  of  three  classes— the  little 
folks,  the  young  folks,  and  the  old  folks. 

The  leader  must  put  himself  in  the  place  of  all  kinds 
of  teachers,  and  discern  their  needs.  He  must  head 
off  unseemly  and  prolonged  discussions ;  he  must  have 
sprightliness  to  keep  the  meeting  taut ;  he  must  have 
zeal  to  keep  the  meeting  warm ;  he  must  have  conse- 
cration to  keep  the  meeting  spiritual. 

But  the  best  of  leaders  may  be  thwarted  by  poor 

following.     To  be  led  in  a  teachers'  meeting  is  an  art 

almost  as  difficult  as  to  lead.     A  skilful  follower  in  a 

teachers'  meeting  will  answer  questions  briefly.     He 

37 


Sunday-School  Success 

will  not  commit  the  impertinence  of  giving  ten  times 
as  much  as  is  asked  for  from  him,  thus  stealing  from 
the  meeting  the  sprightliness  of  nine  questions  and  an- 
swers, even  when  all  he  says  is  to  the  point.  He  will 
make  suggestive  answers  rather  than  exhaustive  ones. 
His  eager  note-book  and  intelligent  listening  will  be 
as  encouraging  as  a  continuous  round  of  applause. 
In  short,  he  will  be  anxious  to  do  anything  for  the 
success  of  the  meeting,  even  to  the  extent  of  sitting 
silent  for  fifteen  minutes.  And  all  leaders  will  bless 
him. 


Chapter  V 
A  Teacher  with  a  Schedule 

THE  weak  point  in  the  preparation  most  Sunday- 
school  teachers  make  is  their  failure  to  prepare  a 
schedule  for  their  teaching — the  order,  that  is,  in 
which  they  shall  take  up  and  discuss  the  facts  and 
lessons  of  the  day's  Scripture.  Probably  the  majority 
of  teachers  begin  with  verse  i  and  go  stolidly  through 
to  verse  13,  or  as  near  it  as  the  superintendent  will 
permit  them  to  get.  This  is  teaching  with  a  shovel, 
and  not  with  a  sieve. 

Wise  teaching  selects,  marshals,  brings  to  a  focus. 
It  excels  haphazard  teaching  as  far  as  a  painting  by 
Rembrandt  excels  a  whitewashed  fence.  It  does  not 
permit  ideas  to  neutralize  each  other.  It  has  a  pur- 
pose, clearly  and  determinedly  held  in  view,  and  to 
this  purpose  it  subordinates  everything  else.  It  knows 
that  the  effectiveness  of  the  lesson  depends  quite  as 
much  on  what  is  left  out  as  on  what  is  put  in. 

Now  the  more  ideas  a  teacher  has,  the  greater  need 
has  he  of  a  schedule,  just  as  the  railroad  that  runs 
39 


Sunday-School  Success 

most  trains  is  in  most  need  of  a  good  time-table.  In- 
deed, the  performance  of  a  teacher  without  a  plan 
bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  a  railway  collision. 
Ideas,  illustrations,  exhortations,  bump  into  one  an- 
other front  and  rear,  telescope  each  other,  and  form 
at  the  end  of  the  hour  a  disheartening  mass  of  splin- 
tered fragments,  with  here  and  there  a  jet  of  steam  or 
a  puff  of  smoke.  If  the  teacher  has  no  schedule,  the 
scholars  on  his  lesson  train  will  grow  confused  and 
get  nowhere.  Small  blame  to  them ! 

Imitating  Paul,  the  wise  teacher  will  take  for  his 
motto,  "  This  one  thing  I  teach."  He  will  teach  as 
much  more  as  is  possible,  but  first  he  will  make  abso- 
lutely sure  of  one  thing.  My  own  plan  in  connection 
with  every  lesson  is  to  lay  down  one  principal,  and  two 
or  three  subordinates.  It  is  best  to  write  these  down 
on  the  margin  of  the  quarterly,  in  precisely  the  order 
in  which  they  are  to  be  taken  up.  Ask  yourself  most 
earnestly,  "  What  is  the  main  lesson  this  Scripture  is 
to  teach  my  scholars?"  Having  decided  on  that, 
consider  your  teaching  a  success,  whatever  happens, 
if  it  has  impressed  this  one  truth.  Leap  to  this  task 
as  swiftly  as  may  be,  even  if  to  reach  the  chosen 
point  you  must  pass  hastily  over  the  first  portion  of 
the  lesson. 

After  driving  home  this  truth,  and  making  sure  of 
it,  take  up  in  turn  your  subordinates.  This  will  re- 
quire a  new  view  of  the  lesson  story  that  will  com- 
pensate for  your  previous  haste.  And  reserve  some 
time  at  the  end  of  the  lesson  for  a  few  parting  words 
40  «• 


A  Teacher  with  a  Schedule 

on  your  main  truth.  Save  for  this  time  your  most 
telling  illustration,  your  most  ardent  pleading.  In 
preparation  for  this  get  all  questions  and  difficulties 
out  of  the  way.  Be  sure,  before  you  begin,  that  your 
watch  is  with  the  superintendent's,  and  do  not  permit 
yourself  to  be  caught  by  the  closing  bell  with  your 
lesson  only  half  way  to  the  terminus. 

Some  teachers  are  proud  thus  to  be  caught,  but 
they  should  be  ashamed.  If  their  neighbor  admits 
that  he  got  over  the  lesson  with  his  class,  they  are 
filled  with  amazed  pity  at  his  lack  of  brains.  "  Why, 
how  could  you?  There  was  so  much  in  the  lesson 
that  I  scarcely  made  a  beginning." 

Teachers,  it  is  a  disgrace  to  any  workman  to  leave 
behind  him  an  improperly  finished  job ;  and  we  are, 
or  should  be,  just  as  thorough  workmen  as  any  car- 
penter. Select  /  One  truth  a  Sunday  means  fifty-two 
truths  a  year,  while  fifty-two  truths  a  Sunday  would 
not  mean  one  truth  a  year.  Plan  /  Definite  results 
do  not  come  from  haphazard  methods.  Finish ! 
One  goal  reached  is  greater  triumph  than  fifty  goals 
started  for.  Form  a  schedule,  and  carry  it  out ! 


Chapter  VI 
My  Lesson  Chart 

MY  recipe  for  a  well-prepared  lesson  is  expressed 
in  Captain  Cuttle's  formula :  "  Make  a  note  on  *t." 

I  have  read  the  lesson  text,  and  the  text  before  the 
lesson  text  and  after  it.  I  have  read  the  wisest  com- 
mentaries I  can  find,  and  as  many  of  them  as  I  can 
find  time  for.  I  have  "  mulled  "  over  the  matter  for 
myself  a  day  or  two.  By  this  time  my  brain  is 
thronged  with  facts  and  a-tingle  with  suggestions. 

Then,  the  lesson  leaf  or  some  other  convenient 
copy  of  the  lesson  text  before  me,  I  construct  the 
chart  by  which  to  make  my  Sabbath  cruise. 

First,  one  must  get  out  to  sea ;  there  is  the  intro- 
duction. How  shall  I  fit  this  trip  in  with  last  Sab- 
bath's voyage,  and  how  shall  I  get  under  way? 

As  I  plan  my  introductory  questions,  I  write  at  the 
head  of  the  lesson  text  some  word  to  represent  each 
question,  such  as  "author?"  "time?"  "place?" 
"  circumstances?  "  "  purpose?  "  "  outline?  " 

With  the  questions  concerning  the  text  itself,  how- 
42 


My  Lesson  Chart 

ever,  I  do  no  writing;  I  simply  underscore  neatly 
those  words  or  phrases  of  the  text  that  will  hint  at  the 
point  to  be  raised.  For  example,  take  the  verse, 
"  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd ;  I  shall  not  want,"  and 
the  questions:  (i)  How  was  this  imagery  prompted 
by  David's  life?  (2)  What  use  did  our  Lord  make 
of  the  same  simile?  (3)  What  comfort  should  we  get 
from  this  thought  in  the  trials  and  uncertainties  of 
life?  (4)  How  does  Christ's  shepherding  keep  us 
from  want?  (5)  From  what  kind  of  want  does  it 
keep  us?  (6)  What  makes  you  sure  of  this?  (7)  How 
was  all  this  proved  true  in  David's  case? 

As  each  question  occurs  to  me,  or  is  suggested  by 
my  reading,  I  underscore  a  word  that  henceforth 
stands  for  that  question.  These  words,  in  the  order 
of  the  questions,  are :  (i)  "  shepherd  " ;  (2)  "  Lord  " ; 
(3)  "my";  (4)  a  curved  line  from  "shepherd"  to 
"  I "  connecting  the  two  sentences ;  (5)  "  want " ;  (6) 
"shall  not";  (7)  "I." 

It  will  sometimes  need  a  little  thought  to  decide 
just  which  word  will  best  represent  the  question,  but 
that  very  thought  will  fix  the  question  more  firmly  in 
the  mind.  If  more  than  one  question  should  be  at- 
tached to  one  word,  make  two  short  underscorings, 
one  beside  the  other. 

When  the  question  contrasts  two  persons,  two  ex- 
pressions, or  two  events,  "  railroading  "  is  in  order — 
a  line,  that  is,  drawn  clear  across  the  printed  page, 
connecting  the  words  which  the  question  connects. 

If  you  have  a  parallel  Bible,  or  some  lesson  help 
43 


Sunday-School  Success 

that  gives  the  King  James  and  the  Revised  versions 
in  opposite  columns,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  mark 
in  one  version  all  the  points  of  history,  geography, 
biography,  customs,  dates,  and  the  like,  and  in  the 
other  the  points  requiring  practical  application  to 
heart  and  life.  The  latter  will  obviously  go  best  in 
the  Revised  Version.  The  points  indicated  by  the 
underscorings  in  the  King  James  Version  may  first  be 
considered  and  got  out  of  the  way. 

If,  however,  you  must  use  only  the  Authorized 
Version,  distinguish  in  some  manner  between  the  two 
sets  of  points — the  merely  explanatory  and  the  horta- 
tory. Use  black  ink  for  the  first  and  red  ink  for  the 
second,  or  a  straight  line  for  the  one  and  a  wavy  line 
for  the  other,  or  for  the  first  a  single  and  for  the  second 
a  double  underscore. 

Proceeding  in  this  way,  I  soon  have  a  line  under 
every  word  requiring  explanation,  every  hint  of  a 
strange  custom,  every  reference  to  other  parts  of  the 
Scriptures,  every  point  for  practical  application.  I 
have  underscored  words  representative  of  all  the 
thoughts  that  especially  appeal  to  me  as  fitting  the 
needs  of  my  class. 

When  this  has  been  done,  it  is  time  to  make  my 
outline.  If  my  study  has  suggested  to  me  an  outline 
of  my  own,  that  will  be  better  for  me  than  any  other 
man's.  The  outline  is  the  plan  of  campaign,  the 
thing  I  wish  especially  to  emphasize,  and  under  it, 
ranged  in  order,  the  points  of  minor  importance.  I 
write  this  outline  on  the  margin  of  my  lesson  text. 
44 


My  Lesson  Chart 

Having  decided  on  the  outline,  I  go  over  my  un- 
derscorings  again,  doubly  or  trebly  underscoring  the 
words  that  have  reference  to  the  thought  around  which 
I  intend  to  center  the  entire  lesson — the  thought  that 
is  to  be  the  lesson's  enduring  monument  in  the  minds 
and  lives  of  my  scholars. 

Now  I  am  ready  for  review.  I  go  over  the  whole, 
starting  with  the  detached  words  jotted  down  at  the 
beginning, — "  author,"  "  time,"  "  place,"  etc.,  — and 
consider  all  the  underscorings,  railroadings,  and  curved 
lines,  stopping  at  each  to  frame  a  question  of  my  own 
and  to  make  sure  of  my  best  answer.  I  do  this  in 
precisely  the  order  in  which  I  intend  to  take  up  these 
points  in  the  class.  Not  the  smallest  part  of  my  work 
at  this  juncture  is  to  simplify,  by  erasing  the  under- 
scorings where  the  questions  may  be  spared  without 
interfering  with  my  main  purpose ;  and  then  I  review 
once  more  in  the  same  way,  to  confirm  my  grasp  on 
the  lesson  plan. 

By  this  time  every  underscoring  is  luminous,  and 
my  page  of  lesson  text  has  become  a  graphic  picture 
of  the  lesson  I  am  to  teach,  a  true  chart  for  my 
voyage. 

Do  you  think  the  process  too  tedious,  brother 
teacher?  It  is  not  a  whit  too  thorough  when  you 
remember  the  infinite  interests  involved;  and  every 
repetition  of  it  will  increase  your  skill,  and  the  rapid- 
ity of  your  work.  I  have  used  this  method  for  years, 
with  various  classes,  and  know  it  to  be  practical, 
pleasant,  and  profitable.  Try  it,  and  see. 
45 


Chapter  VII 
The  Value  of  a  Monotessaron 

FAR  above  concordance,  Bible  index,  Bible  diction- 
ary, commentary,  I  count  the  monotessaron  the  very 
best  help  to  Bible  study.  The  monotessaron,  it  might 
be  parenthetically  remarked  for  the  benefit  of  the 
lexicon-lazy  folk,  is  a  harmony  of  the  four  Gospels,  so 
arranged  as  to  make  one  continuous  and  complete 
story,  in  Scripture  words  alone. 

"  Fie ! "  says  one  reviewer  of  a  recent  monotessaron, 
"  we  have  no  use  for  such  compilations.  God  gave 
us  the  gospel  in  four  separate  books.  He  could  have 
put  it  in  one  if  it  had  been  best  that  way."  This  is 
an  argument  which  would  make  a  heretic  of  the 
locomotive,  printing-press,  and  any  other  rearrange- 
ment of  God-given  matter.  Having  the  four  Gospels, 
we  may  have  one.  If  God  had  given  us  only  one,  we 
could  not  have  the  four. 

Christians  will  always  read  the  four  separate  Gos- 
pels, in  order  to  see  Christ  from  four  separate  points 
of  view,  through  four  separate  individualities,  tha* 
46 


The  Value  of  a  Monotessaron 

their  differences  as  well  as  their  agreements  may  make 
the  picture  stand  out  more  vividly,  much  as  the  two 
diverse  flat  portions  of  a  stereoscope  view  combine 
into  perfect  perspective  and  reality. 

But  this  combining  is  necessary ;  and  it  may  be  truly 
said  that  what  we  lose,  in  reading  the  monotessaron, 
of  the  personality  of  John  or  Luke,  we  more  than  gain 
in  the  increased  vividness  of  the  person  of  Christ. 
Speaking  for  one,  I  may  say  that  through  my  first  ac- 
quaintance with  a  monotessaron  that  matchless  life 
has  shone  upon  me  with  an  entire  splendor  of  beauty 
and  majesty  before  unimagined. 

Never  before  was  the  life  a  whole,  like  Washing- 
ton's or  Lincoln's.  The  imprisonment  of  John  was 
an  event  in  the  fourteenth  chapter  of  one  Gospel,  the 
sixth  of  another,  the  third  of  the  rest;  the  call  of 
Matthew  now  in  the  ninth  chapter,  now  the  second, 
now  the  fifth ;  the  parable  of  the  sower  in  the  thir- 
teenth, fourth,  and  eighth  chapters.  Nothing  was  in 
a  clear,  definite  relation  to  the  single  life.  The  talk 
with  Nicodemus  is  now  no  longer  to  me  an  event  of 
John  3,  but  of  the  beginning  of  the  first  year  of 
Christ's  ministry,  at  the  Passover.  No  longer  would 
I  be  puzzled  to  tell  which  came  first,  the  healing  of 
the  nobleman's  son  of  John  4,  or  the  stilling  of  the 
tempest  of  Mark  4,  but  place  the  last  a  year  later. 

Not   only  has   the   narrative   become   clear  and 

orderly,  not  only  has  the  wonderful  history  parted 

itself  into  the   true   and   helpful   time-divisions  so 

diverse  from  the  confusing  chapters,  but  the  places 

47 


Sunday-School  Success 

now  stand  out,  and  journeys  are  distinct.  Take  any 
diatessaron — that  is,  any  parallel  arrangement  of  the 
four  Gospels — and  note  the  wide  blanks  in  each  book, 
filled  out  by  others,  so  that  between  contiguous  verses 
of  one  Gospel  must  be  inserted  whole  chapters  of  an- 
other, complete  journeys,  many  deeds  and  sayings, 
the  location  in  the  meantime  greatly  changing.  A 
geologist  will  think  of  the  helpful  triumph  of  taking 
from  the  full  rock  record  here  to  fill  out  the  uncon- 
formable  strata  there,  until  a  geological  column  is 
built  up. 

A  further  inestimable  advantage  is  the  appreciation 
of  surroundings.  What  light  is  cast,  for  example,  on 
the  story  of  Lazarus  in  John  by  its  insertion  in  Luke ! 
The  contact  of  these  parted  elements  of  the  gospel 
story  sometimes  rouses  a  current  of  thrilling  thoughts, 
making  a  veritable  electric  battery  of  the  monotessaron. 

Still  another  priceless  gain  is  an  understanding  of 
proportions.  Matthew's  parallels,  Mark's  deeds, 
Luke's  miracles  and  parables,  John's  sermons— in 
reading  any  of  the  four  Gospels  peculiar  elements 
come  into  prominence,  and  we  are  left  with  no  idea 
of  the  relative  proportion  of  these  elements  in  the  one 
life.  What  emphasis  did  Christ  place  on  the  doc- 
trinal, and  what  on  the  practical?  Just  how  much 
of  his  teaching  concerned  himself  and  his  character? 
What  space  in  the  New  Testament  is  occupied  by 
miracles?  Just  what  part  of  Christ's  preaching  was 
parabolic?  What  is  the  prominence  of  missionary 
effort  and  proselytism?  How  much  is  there  of  con- 
48 


The  Value  of  a  Monotessaron 

solation,  and  how  much  of  stern  rebuke?  What 
measure  of  promise?  What  quantum  of  theology? 
What  share  of  ethics? 

These  and  scores  of  other  questions  which'  occur 
at  once  to  every  Christian  thinker,  the  monotessaron 
makes  possible  of  easy  and  rapid  answer.  Indeed, 
almost  its  chief  advantage  is  the  spur  it  affords  to  the 
spirit  of  investigation.  Those  who  are  statistically  in- 
clined can  even  get  at  precise  ratios  by  the  exact 
process  of  counting  lines. 

Well,  that  is  my  experience  of  the  value  of  a 
monotessaron.  It  has  given  the  life  and  person  of 
Christ  marvelous  vividness,  setting  facts  in  their  due 
order,  location,  relations,  and  proportions,  while  the 
facility  it  affords  is  constant  inspiration  to  fresh,  de- 
lightful study.  This  is  the  experience  of  thousands, 
and  yet  I  am  sure  that  among  the  readers  of  this  book 
will  be  many  who  are  yet  unacquainted  with  this 
Bible  help.  Not  only  every  Sunday-school  teacher, 
but  every  Bible  scholar,  should  own  one. 

The  single  year  in  which  I  wrote  this  chapter  saw 
the  publication,  in  quick  succession,  of  four  of  these 
monotessarons,  one  the  improved  edition  of  an  older 
work.  Each  of  these  four  has  its  peculiar  features  of 
value,  and  I  have  compared  them  carefully  to  get  at 
their  characteristics. 

I.  "  The  Interwoven  Gospels."     Rev.  William  Pittenger. 

(5  x  "j%.  inches,  pp.  245.     New  York :  John  B.  Alden.     Price, 

90  cents.)     Five  plates  give  clearly  the  various  journeys.     The 

Gospel  fullest  in  each  event  is  taken  as  the  standard,  and  its 

49 


Sunday-School  Success 

verse-numberings  given,  while  sentences  and  phrases  interwoven 
from  other  Gospels  are  preceded  by  an  inconspicuous  letter,  to 
designate  the  book  from  which  they  come.  This  seems  to  me 
the  ideal  plan.  There  is  a  table  for  finding  in  the  monotessaron 
any  verse  of  any  Gospel.  There  is  a  very  distinct  synopsis. 
The  time  is  indicated  only  at  the  heads  of  the  five  divisions  of 
the  story.  The  place  is  given  at  the  head  of  each  one  of  the 
one  hundred  and  seventy-one  sections.  The  index  is  scant. 
The  typography  is  excellent.  The  American  Revised  Version 
is  used. 

2.  "  The  Gospel  Commentary."    J.  R.  Gilmore  ("  Edmund 
Kirke")  and  Lyman  Abbott,  D.D.     (5x7  inches,  pp.  840. 
New  York:  Fords,  Howard  &  Hulbert.     Price,  $1.50.)     This 
monotessaron  is  combined  with  an  excellent  and  very  full  com- 
mentary, selected  from  the  works  of  three  hundred  authors. 
These  multitudinous  notes  somewhat  mar  the  impression  of 
unity  and  continuity  for  which  the  monotessaron  is  peculiarly 
valued.     No  maps.     Information  as  to  sources  of  the  combined 
text  is  given  only  by  references  at  the  top  of  the  page — an  in- 
definite way.     There  is  a  table  for  finding  in  the  monotessaron 
any  verse  of  any  Gospel.     There  is  a  chronological  synopsis, 
but  no  diatessaron  table.     There  is  a  good  index  of  thirty-two 
pages,  and  a  marginal  synopsis.     The  time  is  minutely  indicated 
at  the  head  of  each  page,  and  th:  locations  shown  irregularly, 
in  notes,  chapter  headings,  or  marginal  synopsis.     There  are 
forty-three  chapters.      The  typography  is  clear.      The  King 
James  Version  is  mainly  used. 

3.  "The  Fourfold  Gospel."     J.  G.  Butler,  D.D.     (5x7^ 
inches,  pp.  212.     New  York:  Funk  &  Wagnalls.     Price,  75 
cents.)     This  is  taken  from  Butler's  "Bible  Work."     The 
sources  of  the  text  and  transitions  are  indicated  as  in  Pittenger's, 
but  not  quite  so  minutely.     Places  are  given  at  the  head  of  the 
one  hundred  and  sixty-six  sections.     Times  not  shown.     A 
good  diatessaron  synopsis,  and  a  table  to  find  in  the  monotes- 
saron any  verse  from  any  Gospel.     Two  sketch-maps.     No 
index  whatever.     King  James  Version. 

SO 


The  Value  of  a  Monotessaron 

4.  "The  One  Gospel."  A.  T.  Pierson,  D.D.  (5  x  7^ 
inches,  pp.  203.  New  York :  The  Baker  &  Taylor  Company. 
Price,  75  cents.)  This  monotessaron  contains  the  gospel  story 
in  forty-seven  sections,  with  no  section  headings,  and  no  indi- 
cations whatever  of  times,  places,  or  sources  of  the  various 
portions  of  the  text.  Valuable  for  reading,  but  unsatisfactory 
for  study.  A  capital  index.  No  table  for  finding  verses,  no 
synopsis  or  maps.  King  James  Version.  Retains  more  than 
the  others  nearly  equivalent  words  and  phrases. 

Each  of  these  excellent  compilations  has  its  own 
field,  and  the  student  who  can  afford  the  luxury  will 
rejoice  in  them  all.  Happy  times  in  which  we  live, 
wherein  the  person  of  Christ  is  brought  with  such 
clearness  and  fullness  and  beauty  as  never  before  to 
the  poorest  and  busiest  and  most  unlearned ! 


Chapter  VIII 
Getting  Attention 

I  WAS  once  sergeant  of  a  college  military  com- 
pany that  was  being  trained  by  an  officer  of  the  regu- 
lar army  from  the  nearest  barracks.  In  one  evolution 
it  was  made  my  duty  to  march  at  the  head  of  a  long 
column,  shouting  at  the  top  of  my  voice :  "  Hep — hep 
— hep — hep!"  This  was  to  give  the  time;  we  had 
no  drum.  I  conscientiously  obeyed  orders  and 
strutted  off,  shouting  the  required  "  Hep— hep— hep 
—hep!"  But  alas!  at  a  critical  turn,  thinking  more 
of  my  glory  than  of  my  duty,  I  marched  to  the  right, 
while  the  column,  more  heedful,  turned  off  to  the  left. 
So  there  I  was,  a  long,  lank  figure,  strutting  off  by 
myself  over  the  field,  shouting  "  Hep— hep— hep!" 
How  many  times  since,  when  standing  before  inat- 
tentive classes,  have  I  repeated  that  mortifying  per- 
formance, less  obviously,  but  none  the  less  really! 

How  often  teachers  are  bent  on  planning  what  they 
are  to  say  and  how  they  are  to  say  it,  but  omit  to  con- 
sider how  they  may  induce  people  to  attend  to  it ; 
52 


Getting  Attention 

just  as  if  (to  change  the  figure)  a  locomotive  engineer 
should  polish  and  oil  his  engine  and  turn  on  full 
steam,  but  forget  the  little  coupling-pin  that  hitches 
the  engine  to  the  train!  It  is  a  very  little  thing,  thif 
coupling-pin  of  attention,  and  often  the  teacher  goes 
puffing  a  long  way  before  he  perceives  that  it  is  left 
out ;  and  it  is  a  great  humiliation,  as  well  as  a  great 
loss  of  time  and  steam,  to  go  back  and  hitch  on. 

The  first  thing  to  be  considered,  if  we  would  win 
attention,  is  the  room.  Poor  janitors  spoil  more 
Sunday-schools  than  poor  teachers.  You  remember 
how  the  Peterkins  tried  to  take  their  drive,  shaking 
the  reins,  clucking  at  the  stationary  horse,  whipping 
and  coaxing  him  by  turns,  and  all  in  vain  until  the 
lady  from  Philadelphia  unhitched  the  obstinate  beast. 
We  make  Peterkins  of  ourselves  every  time  we  try  to 
take  an  intellectual  journey  with  our  pupils  when  they 
are  tied  down  by  hot  air,  poor  ventilation,  uncom- 
fortable seats,. and  surrounding  noise  and  bustle.  All 
our  pedagogical  ingenuity  will  fight  in  vain  against 
the  fiendish  ingenuity  of  a  bad  janitor. 

Having  made  it  possible  for  the  children  to  pay  any 
attention  at  all,  the  next  thing  is  to  get  it.  Attention 
has  something  to  do  with  tension.  Now  it  takes  two 
to  stretch  a  cord,  and  there  are  two  parties  to  every 
act  of  attention.  How  about  the  second  party  in  this 
case — the  children? 

Imprimis,  when  you  appear  before  the  children,  leap 
at  once  into  your  theme.  Older  folks  rather  like  to 
doze  along  through  the  preliminaries  of  a  speech, 
53 


Sunday-School  Success 

economically  saving  their  enthusiasm  for  the  end,  if 
not  for  next  time ;  but  the  attention  of  children  is  lost 
or  won  for  good  by  the  opening  sentences.  Our 
sharp  boys  and  girls  discover  very  quickly  whether  a 
veteran  or  a  raw  recruit  is  calling  "  Attention ! " 

There  are  some  beginnings  which  are  sure  to  offend 
them.  There  is  the  bagpipe  beginning— the  long, 
droning  prelude,  which  advertises  a  teacher  set  out  on 
a  mud-turtle  to  catch  these  lively  colts.  There  is 
the  jack-in-the-box  prelude :  "Eh!  Now,  children! 
What's  lesson  'bout?  Quick! "  There  is  the  crape- 
dirge  beginning,  which  solemnly  hopes  the  children 
have  studied  their  lesson  and  will  recite  better  than 
they  did  last  Sunday.  There  is  the  plead-guilty  be- 
ginning :  "  You'll  have  to  teach  me  to-day,  children. 
I've  been  unable  to  look  at  the  lesson." 

But  it  is  by  no  means  easy  to  give  affirmative  rules. 
The  best  of  beginnings,  if  stereotyped,  becomes  in- 
efficient. No  general  can  plan  a  campaign  in  ad- 
vance. And  yet  a  general  must  understand  the  art 
of  war,  and  a  teacher  must  study  his  tactics. 

In  the  first  place,  attention  is  won  partly  by  posi- 
tion and  attitude.  Happy  the  teacher  whose  class  is 
a  semicircle,  himself  at  the  center!  And  luckless  the 
teacher  whose  class,  fixed  on  straight,  fastened  pews, 
sees  past  him  the  distracting  background  of  a  crowded, 
bustling  school!  He  struggles  against  strong  odds. 

But  whatever  may  be  the  position  of  the  class,  any 
one  can  see  that  his  own  attitude  shall  command 
attention.  Let  him  be  straight,  alert,  confident,  quiet 
54 


Getting  Attention 

—not  flabby,  nervous,  and  diffident.  Let  his  face 
and  voice  and  bearing  expect  attention,  and  he  will 
get  it. 

The  opening  sentences  must  be  businesslike. 
There  must  be  no  indecision,  no  "puttering."  The 
teacher  must  leap  at  once  to  that  hand-to-hand  com- 
bat with  the  theme  which  tells  his  scholars  that  there's 
purpose  in  it.  The  opening  sentences  may  sometimes 
best  catch  the  class  by  directly  addressing  one  person 
in  it,  the  most  restless,  indifferent  one,  and  nailing 
him. 

A  paradox  is  good  to  begin  with,  some  statement 
of  the  lesson  theme  so  startling  as  to  spur  to  discus- 
sion, possibly  to  opposition.  Then  the  next  Sunday, 
perhaps  a  quiet  picture  of  the  historical  setting  of  the 
story,  or  a  description  of  the  landscape  surrounding 
the  event,  or  a  compact  review  of  the  last  lesson. 
Then  the  next  day  you  might  begin  with  a  bit  of  per- 
sonal experience  bearing  on  the  matter  in  hand. 
Nothing  wins  attention  better  than  the  first  person 
singular.  Or  your  introduction  might  be  a  whiff  of 
fun,  for  which  the  youngsters  are  so  eager  that  the 
most  witless  piece  of  jollity,  if  it  spring  from  a  merry 
heart,  is  certain  to  reach  theirs. 

You  are  sure  of  their  attention  if  you  can  get  them 
to  do  something  for  you — open  their  Bibles,  repeat 
something  in  concert,  find  a  verse,  or  look  at  some- 
thing. For  this  purpose  maps,  diagrams,  pictures,  all 
material  objects  connected  with  the  lesson,  are  invalu- 
able. Scholars  yield  their  wills  to  yours  through  their 
55 


hands  or  their  eyes  more  readily  than  through  their 
ears. 

And  none  of  this  must  be  done  with  manifest  pur- 
pose. Surely  in  vain  is  the  net  spread  in  the  sight  of 
any  bird.  Woe  to  the  teacher  who  shouts  the  word 
"Attention!"  He  will  get  nothing  but  the  echo  of 
the  word  from  stony  cliffs  of  indifference. 

And  finally,  woe  to  the  teacher  who  relies  at  bottom 
on  any  skill  of  his  own  to  draw  young  hearts  to  his 
teaching ;  whose  main  dependence  is  anything  but  the 
attention-winning  power  of  that  incarnate  Sympathy 
and  Love  who  promised  to  draw  all  men— and  chil- 
dren—to himself. 


Chapter  IX 
Keeping  Attention 

WE  are  likely  to  think  that  the  attention  of  children 
is  hard  to  get ;  but  the  very  opposite  is  true.  The 
minds  of  children,  like  their  tongues,  are  hung  in  the 
middle.  It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  turn 
them  in  any  direction.  No  teacher  need  spend  much 
force  on  his  introduction.  Merely  appear  and  begin 
to  talk— that  is  enough.  A  fresh  voice  and  presence 
and  a  new  theme  will  draw  all  eyes  and  all  hearts.  If 
grown  people  are  your  audience,  the  situation  is  some- 
what reversed.  They  are  the  heavy  weights — hard 
to  move,  but  just  as  hard  to  stop.  An  attention- 
forcing  prelude  will  hold  them  attentive  to  a  good 
half-hour  of  platitudes. 

The  teacher  of  children,  however,  flattered  by  the 
eager  listening  given  at  the  start,  is  likely  to  relax  his 
efforts  and  deem  the  crown  of  the  children's  interest 
already  attained.  But  alas!  soon  here  a  little  tot 
wriggles,  and  there  another  whispers,  and  yonder  a 
third  giggles,  and  now  a  fourth  turns  around  to  see 
57 


Sunday-School  Success 

what's  up,  and  the  teacher  might  as  well  be  talking 
to  a  school  of  young  fishes. 

Demosthenes  once  said  that  if  whatever  a  man  got 
he  took  care  to  keep,  he  was  grateful  to  the  gods ;  but 
if  he  spent  it,  he  spent  with  it  all  his  gratitude.  How 
many  teachers  are  so  prodigal  of  the  attention  given 
at  the  beginning  that  toward  the  close,  dismayed  at 
the  listlessness,  they  forget  ungratefully  their  initial 
capital  of  bright  eyes  and  eager  ears!  There  are 
many  ways  of  squandering  this  attention  capital.  We 
may  waste  it  on  those  long  exhortations  so  very 
valuable  (when  omitted),  on  side  issues,  on  quibbles. 
We  may  choke  it  with  dullness,  drive  it  off  with 
scolding. 

The  only  way  always  to  keep  attention  is  always 
to  be  expecting  to  lose  it.  Be  prompt  to  note  signs 
of  its  vanishing  in  drooping  eyelids,  wandering  gaze, 
jerking  in  the  seat,  uncertain  answers.  The  teacher 
whose  ingenuity  can  always  recall  stray-away  minds 
need  fear  few  other  recitation  problems.  How 
to  do  it? 

The  best  provocative  of  attention  is  variety.  The 
skilled  teacher  brings  as  many  suits  of  manner  to  the 
class  as  the  bulkiest  clown  wears  costumes  to  the  cir- 
cus. Before  one  suit  becomes  wearisome  he  strips  it 
off,  and  presto !  a  fresh  teacher  before  the  wide-eyed 
children.  If  he  has  been  sitting,  he  rises ;  if  erect,  he 
leans  eagerly  forward.  His  utterance  becomes  rapid 
from  slow,  impetuous  from  drawling.  He  darts  from 
generalizations  into  personalities.  If  motionless  be- 
58 


Keeping  Attention 

fore,  he  begins  to  gesticulate.  This  is  acting?  No. 
It  is  only  doing  what  the  facile  children  themselves 
do  on  their  kaleidoscopic  playground,  where  no  one 
goes  to  sleep. 

Again,  a  teacher  must  learn  to  emphasize  his 
important  points,  not  by  enlarging  on  them,  but 
by  reverting  to  them.  Slight  impression  on  a  wall 
by  holding  a  battering-ram  against  it!  Nor 
can  you  impress  a  child's  mind  by  holding  a  fact 
up  against  it.  It  is  intervals  which  make  blows 
possible. 

So  the  child  will  attend  to  two  things  or  three  bet- 
ter than  to  one.  Concentrate  on  one  matter,  burning- 
glass  fashion,  but  only  while  the  sun  of  interest  is 
shining.  With  the  first  mist  of  indifference  the  wise 
teacher  will  drop  the  burning-glass.  More  teachers 
fail  from  having  too  few  points  to  make  than  from 
having  too  many. 

But  to  retain  attention,  you  need  less  to  multiply 
points  than  points  of  view.  A  teacher  can  usually 
fix  the  attention  of  his  class  upon  one  subject  while 
using  in  succession  six  different  methods  of  treatment. 
Passing  swiftly  from  questioning  to  formulating  prin- 
ciples and  illustrating  them,  from  Bible  quotations  to 
personal  experiences  and  exhortations,  he  will  hold 
his  audience  delighted,  though  a  single  method  would 
have  wearied  it.  Note  how  a  skilled  cook  presents 
the  Thanksgiving  turkey  on  different  days.  It  is  a 
lordly  brown  biped,  a  plateful  of  nice  slices,  a  salad, 
a  pot-pie,  hash.  Teachers  will  be  able  to  hold  the 
59 


Sunday-School  Success 

youngsters'  attention  as  well  as  cooks,  if  they  learn 
thus  to  put  things  in  different  lights. 

Furthermore,  let  it  be  remembered  that  no  one  was 
ever  dignified  with  a  child,  and  won  its  attention. 
And  some  teachers  are  too  staid  to  be  useful.  Startle 
into  inattention  by  a  smart  slap  of  the  hands  together, 
sharp  extension  of  the  finger,  abrupt  turns  upon  the 
floor.  Preachers  use  such  artifices  when  pews  grow 
somnolent,  and  why  not  teachers?  Never  forget  that 
the  slightest  inanimate  object  wins  attention  better 
than  the  greatest  animation  of  the  teacher.  A  pencil- 
tablet  will  rivet  all  eyes.  A  finger  laid  upon  a  map 
is  cynosure  for  the  most  fidgety  scholars.  If  you 
have  a  picture  which  can  be  brought  into  connectioh 
with  the  lesson,  it  is  a  pedagogical  sin  to  omit  it.  A 
chart  is  as  necessary  to  the  Sabbath-school  teacher  as 
to  the  sailor,  albeit  the  teacher's  is  best  home-made. 
I  used  to  hesitate  to  take  time  to  use  such  helps ;  but 
I  found  that  the  poorest  picture  did  better  work  than 
my  most  vivid  word-paintings,  and  that  my  clearest 
statement  was  inefficient  beside  the  clumsiest  dia- 
gram. 

The  beginner  in  this  fine  art  of  attention-holding  is 
likely  to  derive  the  word  "attention"  thus:  from 
tento,  "  I  hold,"  ad,  "  on  to  " ;  attention,  "  I  hold  on 
to "  him.  He  tries  to  hold  attention,  therefore,  by 
main  strength.  He  grapples  with  his  audience  as  a 
bulldog  would.  His  nerves  are  tense.  His  voice  is 
imperative.  His  eye  glares.  He  is  rapid,  impetuous, 
strategic.  This  is  power,  he  thinks,  and  this  is  skill ; 
60 


Keeping  Attention 

but  his  audience  astonishes  him  by  going  to  sleep. 
Abashed,  he  tries  milder  means  of  holding  on  to  them. 
He  begins  to  buttonhole  his  audience.  He  uses  soft 
and  flattering  tones.  He  coaxes.  He  wheedles. 
He  jokes.  He  chucks  them  under  the  chin.  And 
then  his  audience  gets  up  and  goes  out. 

The  real  meaning  of  the  word  "  attention  "  contains 
an  invaluable  hint  for  all  who  are  trying  to  win  others 
by  speaking  or  teaching.  It  is  teneo,  "I  hold,  I 
stretch,"  ad,  "  toward  " ;  and  it  is  not  by  any  means 
applied  to  the  speaker,  but  to  the  listener.  To  get 
your  audience,  whether  of  little  folk  or  big  folk,  to 
stretch  out  toward  the  same  goal  of  truth  that  you  are 
seeking  is  the  true  art  of  winning  attention. 

This  understanding  of  the  matter  implies  that  the 
teacher  also  is  really  in  pursuit  of  truth  himself.  The 
failure  of  much  teaching  is  because  it  cries  "  Go  on  " 
instead  of  "  Come  on."  The  speaker  that  you  follow 
with  most  difficulty  is  the  speaker  who  has  the  air  of 
"  knowing  it  all,"  while  the  speaker  who  succeeds  best 
in  holding  your  attention  gives  you  the  impression  of 
a  chase. 

There's  the  game  before  you— that  elusive  truth 
slipping  away  through  the  thicket  yonder.  The 
huntsman's  eye  flashes.  He  whistles  up  the  dogs. 
We  all  leap  to  the  saddles.  Off  we  go,  over  upland 
and  vale,  swamp  and  rock,  fence  and  ditch,  our 
leader  far  in  the  van,  pointing  here,  waving  there,  and 
hallooing  the  huntsman  on.  And  when  the  game  is 
tracked  down,  and  our  leader  stands  above  it,  drip- 
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Sunday-School  Success 

ping  knife  in  hand,  our  veins  tingle  with  his,  and  we 
shout  with  delight  at  our  triumph. 

This  is  the  first  principle  in  the  art  of  winning  at- 
tention. The  speaker  must  give  the  impression  of  a 
truth-seeker,  if  he  would  win  others  to  seek  truth  with 
him.  What  Edward  Everett  Hale  once  said  of  a 
sermon  applies  to  this.  Every  Sunday-school  lesson 
should  start  out  to  prove  something.  It  should  have 
some  goal.  It  should  intend  something.  Intention 
must  precede  attention. 

But  though  there  must  be  this  element  of  pleasing 
uncertainty  and  suspense,  we  all  have  difficulty  in 
attending  to  a  speaker  who  does  not  appear  to  have 
himself  well  in  hand  or  to  be  quite  sure  what  he  is 
about.  Have  you  not  caught  yourselves,  teachers, 
talking  as  if  in  your  sleep?  Have  you  not  sometimes 
waked  up  at  the  end  of  a  sentence,  a  question,  or  a 
harangue,  and  wondered  what  you  had  been  talking 
about?  Did  you  suppose  that  any  one  else  knew? 
Did  you  expect  to  hold  on  to  them  when  you  had  no 
grasp  of  the  subject?  Can  listeners  pay  attention  to 
any  one  who  does  not  pay  attention  to  himself? 

Teachers  make  the  mistake  of  dividing  attention 
between  the  class,  to  watch  that  they  hear ;  and  them- 
selves, to  see  how  they  are  getting  along ;  and  the  little 
attention  left  goes  to  the  theme.  Not  unnaturally, 
the  attention  of  the  class  is  divided  in  the  same  way 
— much  to  themselves,  less  to  the  teacher,  and  least  of 
all  to  what  is  being  taught.  Of  course  it  is  a  teacher's 
business  to  hold  his  scholars'  attention,  but  he  will 
62 


Keeping  Attention 

never  do  it  by  worrying  and  wondering  whether  he  is 
succeeding. 

Nay,  I  even  go  so  far  as  to  say,  if  one  of  your 
pupils  pays  no  attention,  then  pay  no  attention  to  him, 
provided  the  mischief  is  not  spreading.  A  teacher 
should  not  fritter  away  his  attention  on  inattentive 
pupils.  If  he  cannot  win  their  attention  by  his  own 
interest  in  his  theme,  he  cannot  win  it  at  all.  Not 
that  I  would  imply  for  a  moment,  however,  that  the 
teacher  is  to  rest  satisfied  while  a  single  one  of  his 
pupils  remains  inattentive.  If  your  chicks  are  average 
chicks  they  are  gregarious,  and  one  stray-away  is 
enough  to  carry  the  whole  flock  with  him  into  foreign 
parts.  While  you  have  a  single  inattentive  scholar 
you  should  conduct  your  lesson  with  a  view  to  hold- 
ing him.  You  will  hold  the  rest  then,  as  a  matter  of 
course.  I  am  only  speaking  of  the  best  way  to  win 
attention.  It  must  be  won,  or  you  are  beaten  to  some 
extent ;  and  the  attention  of  all  will  be  won  in  the  end 
if  you  are  deeply  enough  in  earnest  yourself,  if  you 
do  not  allow  your  attention  to  be  side-tracked  by  the 
inattention  of  a  few.  If  you  wish  to  win  and  hold 
the  attention  of  others,  win  and  hold  your  own. 


Chapter  X 
The  Importance  of  Questioning 

EVER  since  Socrates,  conversation  has  been  the  soul 
of  teaching,  and  ever  since  Adam  and  Eve  the  ques- 
tion has  been  the  life  of  conversation.  A  teacher's 
success  depends,  in  about  equal  measure,  upon  in- 
spiration, cogitation,  and  interrogation.  Let  the  first 
be  the  great  gravitative  forces ;  let  the  second  provide 
the  truth,  the  liquid ;  then  the  interrogation-point  is 
the  curved  siphon,  which  transfers  from  the  full  to  the 
empty  vessel ! 

Many,  many  a  teacher  has  failed,  thinking  himself 
not  wise  enough,  or  not  energetic  enough,  while  in 
reality  he  has  simply  failed  to  be  wisely  and  ener- 
getically quizzical. 

But  what  is  a  question?  Is  it  not  a  fish-hook  for 
pulling  out,  rather  than  a  siphon  for  putting  in? 
Yes,  later ;  but  you  cannot  fish  successfully  in  a  dry 
pond.  Any  bungler  can  examine  and  test.  The  nice 
art  is  to  use  your  interrogation-points  as  instruments 
of  addition,  rather  than  of  subtraction. 
64 


The  Importance  of  Questioning 

But  why  is  it  often  better  to  insinuate  instruction 
through  a  question,  in  preference  to  pouring  by  direct 
harangue?  Well,  does  not  a  question  imply  commu- 
nity of  interest,  and  hint  at  equality  or  similarity  of  at- 
tainment? The  question  is  neighborly ;  the  discourse 
mounts  a  platform. 

The  helpful  lesson  commentaries  fail,  practically, 
to  reach  many  a  class,  because  its  teacher  in  reading 
has  failed  to  translate  from  the  declarative  into  the 
interrogative.  If  Doctor  Somebody  writes  tersely, 
"  A  sin  that  is  born  of  your  own  will  is  tenfold  more 
dangerous  to  you  than  your  own  sin  that  is  born  of 
your  neighbor's  will,"  Johnny  will  not  get  the  point 
unless  the  teacher  transforms  it  somewhat  thus :  "  If 
you  are  out  in  the  country  all  alone,  Johnny,  jump 
over  a  fence,  steal  a  pocketful  of  apples,  is  that  a  sin 
just  as  much  as  if  some  other  boy  should  be  along  and 
persuade  you  to  do  it?  Yes?  Well,  now,  which  sin 
is  the  more  dangerous  to  you?  " 

So  important  does  this  seem  to  me  that  I  always 
carry  pencil  and  paper  to  the  perusal  of  my  lesson 
helps,  and  write  out,  as  a  point  pleases  me,  the  form 
in  which  I  wish  to  bring  it  up  in  the  class,  ranging 
these  questions  under  the  numbers  of  the  verses  to 
which  they  apply. 

The  teacher  who  does  not  write  out  his  questions, 
or  do  the  equivalent  of  that  work,  is  as  sure  to  be  de- 
feated as  the  general  who  fights  without  a  plan  of 
campaign. 

Should  those  questions  be  read  in  the  class?  Not 
65 


unless  your  ideal  of  teaching  is  the  company  drill,  in- 
stead of  the  conversation. 

It  is  well,  however,  to  ask  the  scholars  to  write  out 
questions  for  you  on  verses  assigned,  and  read  these 
questions  before  the  class.  The  teacher's  work  is 
grandly  accomplished  when  he  has  induced  the 
scholar  to  ask  his  own  questions,  and  work  out  his 
own  answers. 

I  often  find  that  a  general  call  for  questions  on  some 
apparently  exhausted  topic  brings  the  richest  results 
of  the  half-hour. 

Few  verses  are  completely  treated  without  Lyman 
Beecher's  "  snapper,"— the  appeal  to  experience. 
The  question,  "  Is  it  I  ?  "  must  be  raised,  no  matter 
by  how  direct  urgings,  in  every  heart.  That  question 
is  truth's  barb. 

There  is  a  questioning  face  and  attitude,  indicative 
of  a  real  and  personal  interest  in  the  thing  considered, 
without  which  a  question  will  always  fall  dead,  and 
deservedly. 

Nor,  on  the  contrary,  will  a  live  manner  avail  to 
foist  upon  the  attention  of  a  class  a  dead  question. 
And  a  question  is  "  dead  "  to  your  scholar  which  does 
not  touch  his  own  world  of  interest  at  some  point,  no 
matter  how  close  connection  it  may  have  with  your 
life  and  experience. 

The  questions  on  the  lesson  leaves  make  a  good  aid 
in  study,  but  do  most  pitiably  convict  a  teacher  of 
unfaithfulness  if  he  use  them  in  teaching. 

Most  genuine  of  all  questions,  and  most  likely  to 
66 


The  Importance  of  Questioning 

be  helpful,  are  the  doubts,  perplexities,  and  difficulties 
which  attend  a  thoughtful  teacher's  first  careful  read- 
ing of  the  text  itself.  Then  is  the  time  when  the 
cream  of  that  lesson  should  rise. 

Leading  questions  are  always  better  than  harangue, 
and  are  not  to  be  despised,  on  a  pinch.  See  what 
use  Socrates  made  of  them!  And,  by  the  way, 
modern  teachers  could  learn  much  as  to  methods 
from  the  dialogues  of  that  old  pagan. 

By  all  means  we  must  learn  to  link  our  questions, 
naturally  developing  one  from  the  other.  Read  a 
page  of  miscellaneous  proverbs,  and  you  will  cany 
away  from  it  the  same  bewildered  brain  much  Sun- 
day-school sharp-shooting  produces.  Use  the  solid 
phalanx ! 

Infinite  harm  is  done  our  teaching  by  "  questioning 
down."  Do  you  know  how  tiresome  it  is  to  talk  to 
a  man  up  in  a  third-story  window,  you  in  the  street? 
Our  "  level-best "  teaching  must  be  on  a  level. 

The  novice  at  questioning,  when  first  he  becomes 
well  satisfied  with  himself  in  this  line,  will  probably 
be  making  his  chief  mistake, — will  have  hit  upon  an 
interrogative  phraseology  in  which  his  thoughts  run 
easily,  which  he  uses  incessantly.  The  artful  ques- 
tioner will  rack  his  brains  to  the  utmost  stretch  of  in- 
genuity to  devise  striking  and  novel  ways  of  quizzing, 
to  hold  the  restless  young  minds. 

Of  course,  no  skilled  questioner  will  take  the  class 
in  order.  Of  course,  he  will  name  the  person  who  is 
to  answer,  at  the  end,  and  not  at  the  beginning,  of  his 
67 


Sunday-School  Success 

question.  Of  course,  he  will  understand  the  use  of 
long  and  attention-holding  questions,  interspersed 
with  short,  quick,  attention-exciting  questions.  Of 
course,  he  will  be  ready  with  a  varying  form  of  the 
question  if  he  has  to  repeat  it,  lest  the  class  fail  to 
listen  the  second  time.  Of  course,  he  will  train  him- 
self to  become  ready  with  a  "  catch  "  question,— a 
question  with  a  quirk  in  it,  to  punish  mildly  the  in- 
attentive. Of  course,  he  will  know  when  the  class 
needs  unifying  by  the  general  question  addressed  to 
all,  and  when  the  subject  needs  unifying  by  the  gen- 
eral question  reviewing  all.  And,  of  course,  he  will 
have  learned  that  the  best  teacher  of  this,  as  of  all 
arts,  is  He  whose  boyish  questions  in  the  temple  grew 
to  such  mighty  answers  that  no  man  thereafter  dared 
question  him,  save  only  his  true  disciples. 


68 


Chapter  XI 
A  Good  Question 

IF  I  were  asked  to  name  the  chief  fault  of  the 
average  teacher,  I  should  say,  "Asking  questions 
that  can  be  answered  by  '  Yes '  and  '  No.' "  Among 
my  acquaintances  was  once  a  teacher  in  a  secular 
school  whose  method  of  questioning  was  invariably 
this.  He  would  have  before  him  the  statements  of 
the  text-book,  copied  out  with  painstaking  care,  and 
would  develop  the  subject  thus :  "  Is  it  true  or  is  it 

not  true,  Mr.  A ,  that" — and  here  would  follow 

the  statement  or  definition  of  the  text-book.  The 
ambiguous  answer,  "Yes,"  was  amply  satisfactory. 
Unfortunately,  when  such  teachers  gain  a  foothold 
in  the  Sunday-school,  they  are  not  so  easily  dismissed 
as  from  secular  establishments. 

Now,  a  good  question  merely  furnishes  the  starting- 
point,  and  pushes  the  scholar  out  along  the  course 
toward  some  goal  of  truth ;  but  in  a  question  that 
can  be  answered  by  "  Yes  "  or  "  No  "  the  teacher  him- 
self ambles  amiably  up  the  track,  and  condescendingly 
69 


Sunday-School  Success 

allows  the  scholar's  monosyllable  to  pat  him  on  the 
head  after  he  himself  has  reached  the  goal.  A  ques- 
tion that  can  be  answered  by  "  Yes  "  or  "  No  "  merely 
formulates  the  truth  as  it  exists  in  the  teacher's  mind, 
and  invites  the  scholar's  assent  to  it ;  a  good  question, 
on  the  contrary,  provokes  the  scholar  to  formulate 
truth  for  himself. 

Now,  it  is  much  easier  to  express  what  we  see  to 
be  true  than  to  get  any  one  else  to  express  original 
thought.  There  is  also,  to  the  unwise,  more  glory  in 
laying  down  principles  to  which  others  must  agree 
than  in  getting  others  to  lay  down  principles  to  which 
we  must  agree.  It  will  always  be  true,  therefore, 
that  the  lazy  and  the  pompous  will  have  no  aim  be- 
yond educing  monosyllabic  answers.  Most  teachers, 
however,  are  earnestly  desirous  of  the  best,  but  do 
not  know  how  to  frame  wise  questions.  What  must 
be  said  to  them? 

First,  that  they  must  not  go  to  school  before  their 
scholars.  Expert  questioning  is  not  learned  in  the 
class-room,  but  in  the  study.  A  lead-pencil  is  the 
best  teacher.  A  sheet  of  paper  is  the  best  drill- 
ground.  As  I  have  urged  before :  Let  the  Sunday- 
school  worker  who  aspires  to  the  high  praise  of  a 
good  questioner  sit  down  persistently,  after  studying 
the  lesson,  and  write  out  a  set  of  questions.  Nay ; 
on  each  point,  so  far  as  he  has  time,  let  him  write 
several  questions,  criticise  them,  fancy  what  kind  of 
answer  each  will  be  likely  to  elicit  from  the  scholar, 
and  choose  what  appears  the  best  question.  Try 
70 


A  Good  Question 

it  on  the  class,  and  learn  valuable  lessons  from  the 
result. 

This  method,  laborious  as  it  is,  must  be  kept  up 
until  skilful  questioning  has  become  instinctive. 
That  there  may  be  hope  of  this  happy  result,  by  the 
way,  the  written  questions  must  never  be  used  in  the 
class, — only  the  memory  of  them,  and  the  drill  the 
preparation  has  given.  It  surely  will  happen,  sooner 
or  later,  that  the  careful  student  of  practical  peda- 
gogics will  be  able  to  get  along  without  writing, 
merely  formulating  fit  questions  in  his  mind  as  he 
studies  the  lesson.  After  a  time  he  may  dispense  even 
with  this,  and  look  simply  after  the  points  to  be  pre- 
sented, trusting  to  extemporaneous  question-making. 

Not  wholly,  however.  The  best  questioner  in  the 
world  gets  into  ruts.  The  best  forms  of  questions 
ever  invented  are  worse  than  the  worst  if  they  are 
used  with  dull  reiteration.  No  one  can  devote  care- 
ful attention  to  the  form  of  his  questions  without 
falling  in  love  with  some  particular  way  of  question- 
ing; and  this  will  not  always  be  the  best  way,  but 
will  probably  be  the  most  original  way.  A  form  of 
question  that  is  irreproachable  the  first  time  will  be 
unendurable  used  six  times  in  succession.  It  is 
necessary,  then,  even  for  the  trained  questioner,  to 
revert  now  and  then  to  his  old  lead-pencil  drill,  in 
order  to  study  variety. 

But  how  may  the  uninitiated  know  a  good  question 
when  they  see  it,  or  make  it?  As  said  already,  it 
must  not  be  such  that  a  lazy  monosyllable  may  an- 


Sunday-School  Success 

swer  it.  As  said  already,  too,  if  one  is  in  doubt,  he 
has  but  to  try  it  on  the  class,  and  note  results.  But 
further.  A  good  question  will  be  likely  to  have  some- 
thing piquant  about  it,  if  the  subject  admits.  For 
instance,  "  James  was  killed,  Peter  was  freed ;  why 
was  that?  "  is  better  than  saying,  "  How  do  you  ac- 
count for  the  fact  that  while  the  apostle  James  was 
beheaded,  the  apostle  Peter  was  delivered  from  the 
hands  of  his  persecutors?  " 

Furthermore,  the  difference  between  a  poor  ques- 
tion and  a  good  one  may  often  be  a  mere  matter  of 
length.  "  Why  did  the  Christians  at  Antioch  keep 
the  inferior  leaders  for  work  in  the  city,  but  send 
away  the  most  prominent  men  in  their  church  to 
labor  as  missionaries?"  That  is  abominable;  it 
should  be,  "Why  did  the  Antioch  Christians  send 
away  their  best  men?  " 

A  good  question  will  contain  as  much  as  possible 
of  the  personal  element.  "  What  do  you  understand 
by  the  phrase  '  remission  of  sins '  ?  "  is  much  better 
than  "  What  is  the  significance  of  the  phrase  '  remis- 
sion of  sins '  ?  "  Because  the  personal  question  puts 
the  expected  answer  in  a  more  modest  light,  the  an- 
swer will  be  more  unconstrained  and  full. 

And,  by  the  way,  there  are  few  forms  of  questions 
more  zealously  to  be  avoided  than  the  form  I  have 
just  used,  "What  do  you  understand  by — ?"  It  is 
the  unfailing  resource  of  the  poor  questioner.  A 
verse  will  be  read,  a  phrase  quoted,  a  doctrine  or  a 
principle  named,  and  then  will  follow,  as  the  night 
72 


A  Good  Question 

the  day,  the  tiresome  old  formula,  "  What  do  you 

understand  by  this,  Miss  A ?  "  One  would  be 

quite  safe  in  declaring,  at  any  particular  instant  dur- 
ing common  Sunday-school  hours,  that  one-fourth  of 
the  Sunday-school  teachers  of  the  world  were  repeat- 
ing, with  united  breath,  that  Methuselah  of  a  query, 
"What  do  you  understand  by  this? " 

Again,  a  good  question  must  be  swift.  It  must 
come  so  quickly  that  there  will  be  no  time  to  get  out 
of  the  way.  Some  questions  that,  if  written  out,  would 
not  be  bad,  are  prolonged  in  the  utterance  of  over- 
deliberate  teachers  like  foggy  illustrations  of  the  law 
of  perspective.  Good  questions  leap.  You  feel  their 
buoyancy  as  you  read  them  or  hear  them.  It  is  like 
the  huntsman  springing  into  the  saddle  and  shouting, 
"Come  on!"  No  one  with  an  atom  of  thoughtful- 
ness  is  dull  to  the  exhilaration  of  spirited  ques- 
tions. They  have  inspired  all  the  wise  thinking  of 
the  world. 

And,  finally,  good  questions  should  be  absolutely 
clear.  There  is  one  thing  in  the  world  that  must 
always  be  faultlessly  perspicuous  and  distinct,  and 
that  is  a  marching  order  in  time  of  battle.  Now, 
questions  are  the  marching  orders  of  our  scholars' 
brain  regiments,  in  a  battle  of  infinite  moment.  Let 
them  ring  clearly  as  ever  bugle-call  was  sounded. 
Questions  mumbled,  hesitant,  caught  up  and  patched 
over,  confused  and  slovenly, — what  wonder  if  these 
get  slow  and  mumbled  answers?  A  question  clearly 
put,  not  only  proves  that  the  questioner  has  clear 
73 


Sunday-School  Success 

ideas,  but  it  wondrously  clarifies  the  ideas  of  the 
answerer. 

Good  questions,  then,  are  thought-compelling, 
varied,  short,  personal,  piquant,  unhackneyed,  brisk, 
and  clear.  Do  I  ask  too  much?  Nothing  that  all 
may  not  acquire,  if  but  a  tithe  of  the  zeal  and  labor 
claimed  by  the  trivialities  of  a  few  years  are  spent 
upon  these  issues  of  eternity.  Let  every  teacher  con- 
sider what  characteristics  of  a  good  questioner  he 
may  add  to  his  pedagogical  outfit. 


74 


Chapter  XII 
Inspiring  Questions 

I  USE  this  title  advisedly,  because  I  believe  that  it 
requires  more  genuine  inspiration  to  lead  the  average 
scholar  to  ask  questions  than  to  perform  any  other 
part  of  the  teacher's  difficult  task.  How  easy  to  ask 
our  own  questions,  to  put  in  our  own  answers  in  order 
to  draw  them  out  again,  were  that  all  of  it!  But  to 
transform  the  passive  into  the  active,  the  auditor  into 
the  investigator,  the  questioned  into  the  questioner, 
that  is  the  goal  of  the  true  teacher's  endeavor. 

Shall  we  count  a  recitation  successful  when  the 
teacher  has  been  earnest  and  zealous  in  his  inquisi- 
tion, the  scholars  ready  and  full  in  their  responses? 
A  single  question,  borne,  it  may  be,  on  a  voice  so 
timid  that  it  is  scarcely  audible  in  the  buzzing  room, 
yet  sprung  from  some  young  heart  just  moved  with 
the  sudden  desire  of  truth,  is  worth  all  the  rest. 

If  the  teacher  wishes  to  carry  his  scholars  beyond 
the  parasite  stage,  which  is  just  as  dangerous  intellec- 
tually as  physically,  both  to  the  parasite  and  its  sup- 
75 


Sunday-School  Success 

porter,  he  must  learn  first  that  this  weaning  comes 
not  without  thoughtfulness  and  design.  He  must 
learn  that,  even  more  carefully  than  he  plans  the 
questions  he  is  to  ask  his  scholars,  he  must  plan  to 
inspire  them  to  ask  questions  themselves.  He  will 
be  most  successful  if,  from  the  many  matters  which 
could  be  brought  up  in  the  lesson,  he  selects  two  or 
three  of  prime  importance,  and  schemes  to  elicit  the 
questioning  enthusiasm  of  his  class  along  those  few 
lines.  But  how  to  do  it? 

In  the  first  place,  the  teacher  must  be  a  questioner 
himself.  An  old  hen  can  hardly  teach  the  eagle's 
brood  to  fly.  Do  not  hesitate  to  tell  your  scholars 
of  the  doubts  you  once  had,  and  how  you  won  cer- 
tainty from  them.  Show  them  by  example  that  doubt 
is  never  a  thing  to  be  afraid  of  or  ashamed  of,  unless 
it  be  a  lazy  doubt,  viciously  pleased  with  its  own  fog. 

Then  there  is  a  question-inspiring  face  and  atti- 
tude. If  the  teacher  assumes  the  manner  pontific 
and  speaks  ex  cathedra,  and  has  the  air  of  one  who 
says  the  ultimate  word,  he  will  smother  every  ques- 
tion. A  sympathetic,  open  face,  and  the  hearty  spirit 
of  good-fellowship,  are  the  best  invitations  to  inquiries. 

Nor  must  the  teacher  be  in  a  hurry,  hastening  from 
verse  to  verse  with  the  nervous  dispatch  of  an  auc- 
tioneer. How  many  times  must  even  a  wise  man 
look  at  a  beetle,  and  how  long,  before  he  is  moved 
to  ask  a  wise  question  concerning  it?  Don't  we 
sometimes  make  the  recitation  a  mere  exhibition  of 
shooting-stars? 

76 


Inspiring  Questions 

Then,  too,  be  on  the  watch  for  questions.  How 
far  ahead  can  you  see  a  question  coming?  Before 
the  scholar  has  made  up  his  mind  to  ask  it,  if  you 
have  seeing  eyes.  An  almost  imperceptible  quiver 
of  the  lips:  "Question,  Thomas?"  Eyes  suddenly 
wider:  "What  were  you  about  to  ask,  Mary?" 
Forehead  wrinkled :  "  Anything  to  say  on  that  point, 
Edward?" 

And  if  the  question  is  a  good  one,  why,  "  A  capital 
question,  Thomas! "  "  I  hoped  that  some  one  would 
ask  that,  Mary!"  A  good  question  is  more  to  be 
praised  than  a  good  answer,  because  it  is  rarer  and 
more  original ;  but  does  it  always  receive  our  hearty 
commendation  ? 

Though  the  question  leads  you  far  out  of  your  way, 
turn  aside  for  it  as  gladly  as  you  would  turn  from 
the  road  to  pick  up  a  diamond.  Though  you  must 
leave  the  climax  of  the  lesson  unreached,  see  in  this 
the  climax.  Though  you  are  in  full  harangue,  eagerly 
showing  forth  some  great  truth,  stop  short  at  once. 
A  question  in  hand  is  worth  a  whole  system  of  theol- 
ogy in  the  bush. 

And  even  if  the  question  be  trivial,  or  pointless,  or 
utterly  irrelevant,  in  anticipation  of  other  possible 
questions,  this  one  is  not  to  be  scornfully  or  slightingly 
waved  aside.  Don't  kill  the  goose  that  lays  golden 
eggs  when  she  chances  to  lay  one  of  pewter! 

Half -statements,  when  shrewdly  managed,  will 
often  elicit  questions.  "  Yes,  God  was  terribly  angry 
with  the  Jews,— terribly.  Think  how  powerful  God 
77 


Sunday-School  Success 

is,  and  how  awful  his  anger  must  be !  You  want  to 
ask  something,  Billy?  Whether  it  is  right  for  God 
to  be  angry?  Well,  I  am  glad  you  asked  that,  be- 
cause I  want  to  tell  you  the  difference  between  his 
anger  and  ours." 

An  over-statement  will  often  draw  out  the  longed- 
for  inquiry.  "  When  John  urged  every  one  with  two 
coats  to  give  one  to  some  person  who  had  no  coat, 
what  did  he  mean  but  this,— that,  as  long  as  any  one 
in  the  world  is  poor,  those  who  have  more  than  they 
need  ought  to  keep  giving  to  those  who  have  less 
than  they  need?  I  see  that  you  have  a  word  for  us, 
Lizzie.  What  is  it?  How  about  the  lazy  people 
and  the  bad  men?  I  hoped  some  one  would  bring 
up  that  point!" 

And  when  your  half-statement  or  over-statement 
is  accepted  without  remonstrance  by  your  scholars, 
a  little  jolly  scolding  as  you  make  the  correction  your- 
self, and  a  warning  that  they  must  do  better  thinking 
the  next  time,  will  work  wonders. 

Sometimes  the  best  plan  is  a  direct  call.  "  What 
do  you  think  about  that  statement,  now?  Haven't 
you  some  question  to  ask  about  it?  Don't  you  want 
to  know  something  more  about  it?  "  If  not  a  ques- 
tion follows,  at  least  the  scholars  will  know  that  you 
are  expecting  them  to  originate  lines  of  thought  and 
inquiry ;  and  that  is  one  thing  gained. 

This  question  is  sometimes  asked :  "  What  modern 
teacher  is  so  successful  as  Socrates,  who  made  his 
scholars  teachers  in  their  turn?"  The  question 
7* 


Inspiring  Questions 

touches  a  fundamental  truth  in  pedagogics,— that  the 
teacher's  goal  is  the  scholar's  independence  of  the 
teacher.  By  brave  example  of  sturdy  thought,  by 
sympathetic  insight  into  the  doubts  and  needs  of  the 
opening  mind,  by  enthusiasm  and  winning  tact,  let 
us  strive  in  this  direction,  as  in  all  others,  to  be  worthy 
followers  of  Him  who  made  of  his  disciples  teachers 
at  whose  feet  the  great  Greek  himself  would  have 
been  glad  to  sit. 


Chapter  XIII 
Trigger-Teaching 

THE  hard-working  Sunday-school  teacher  picks  up 
his  cartridge,  proudly  carries  it  to  the  desired  desti- 
nation, and  there  explodes  it.  The  shrewd  Sunday- 
school  teacher  uses  the  scholar  as  a  rifle,  and  simply 
pulls  the  trigger.  Some  teachers,  that  is,  consider 
themselves  as  big  guns.  Other  and  better  teachers 
seek  to  make  practical  working  guns  of  their  scholars. 
Between  the  two  styles  of  teaching  there  is  this  differ- 
ence, that  the  trigger-teaching  usually  hits  the  mark, 
while  the  big-gun  teacher  finds  that  the  mark,  if  it  is 
a  live  one,  has  taken  itself  out  of  the  way  by  the  time 
he  has  carried  the  cartridge  to  it. 

In  big-gun  teaching  the  teacher  does  everything 
for  the  scholar ;  in  trigger-teaching  the  teacher  does 
nothing  for  the  scholar  that  he  can  help.  In  big- 
gun  teaching  the  teacher  thinks ;  in  trigger-teaching 
the  teacher  thinks  how  to  get  his  scholars  to  think. 
Big-gun  teaching  parades ;  trigger-teaching  stays  in 
the  tent  and  issues  orders.  Big-gun  teaching  is  amus- 
80 


Trigger-Teaching 

ing ;  trigger-teaching  is  suggestive.  Big-gun  teaching 
develops  the  teacher;  trigger-teaching  develops  the 
scholar.  The  teacher's  true  work  is  to  educate,  and 
"  educate  "  means  "  to  draw  out,"  and  not  "  to  carry 
to." 

"Oh!  our  scholars  are  not  loaded,"  I  hear  many 
teachers  object.  "  If  we  should  pull  the  trigger,  there 
would  follow  only  a  ridiculous  click." 

But  your  scholars  are  loaded,  objectors.  Though 
they  may  not  be  loaded  with  precisely  the  information 
you  have  been  seeking  from  them,  they  are  loaded  with 
experiences, — all  their  short  lives  will  hold.  They 
are  loaded  with  temptations  and  troubles  and  needs. 
They  are  loaded  with  questions  and  curiosity.  They 
have  information,  too,  any  amount  of  it,  that  may  be 
brought  into  suggestive  connection  with  the  lesson, 
if  you  know  how  to  make  shrewd  use  of  their  public- 
school  history  and  geography  and  science. 

To  be  sure,  they  probably  know  nothing  definite 
about  the  time  of  the  lesson's  events,  or  the  place,  or 
the  persons,  or  the  circumstances.  Well,  make  them 
load  themselves.  As  you  rehearse  these  facts  con- 
cisely, make  your  scholars  write  them  on  slips  of 
paper.  Send  one  to  the  board,  to  set  down  what  you 
dictate.  Get  one  of  their  number  to  read  aloud  some 
brief  and  comprehensive  summary  of  the  lesson  de- 
tails. In  one  or  all  of  these  ways  make  them  load 
themselves,  and  then— nothing  is  accomplished  if 
you  stop  here — pull  the  trigger! 

More  than  on  any  other  thing  save  the  help  of 
81 


Sunday-School  Success 

the  Holy  Spirit,  a  teacher's  success  depends  on  the 
use  he  makes  of  the  fact  that  his  scholars  are  already 
loaded  to  some  effective  purpose;  and  the  wise 
teacher  will  always  ask  himself,  in  the  course  of  his 
preparation  for  the  lesson,  "  What  experiences  of  the 
members  of  my  class  will  help  them  understand  this 
lesson  and  its  truths?  "  One  has  been  sick  lately. 
One  is  studying  geology.  One  has  a  father  who  is 
a  banker.  One  has  just  seen  the  Mammoth  Cave. 

If  these  things  are  to  be  likened  to  the  bullets  and 
shot,  what  is  the  powder?  Must  the  teacher  depend 
for  that,  too,  largely  on  the  pupil?  Yes. 

To  be  sure,  much  of  the  powder  of  successful  teach- 
ing is  the  zeal  and  eagerness  of  the  teacher  himself. 
But  his  interest  is  a  smokeless  powder  like  the  ful- 
minating powder  of  the  cap,  whose  value  is  solely  to 
set  fire  to  the  powder  of  the  scholar  when  the  trigger 
is  pulled.  The  scholar's  interest,  the  scholar's  powder, 
it  is  that  must  be  relied  upon  to  do  the  work,  to  carry 
the  ball. 

And  so  in  trigger-teaching,  much  depends  on  the 
teacher's  ability  to  excite  curiosity  and  arouse  interest. 
He  will  study  his  scholars'  likings,  and  appeal  to  them 
in  his  illustrations ;  their  needs,  and  refer  to  them  in 
his  applications.  Sometimes  he  will  state  the  matter 
too  strongly,  sometimes  too  feebly;  in  each  case, 
with  the  express  intention  to  draw  out  their  protest. 
He  will  know  how  to  use  paradox  so  as  to  arouse, 
but  not  confuse.  He  will  study  different  methods  of 
emphasis,  and  will  not  use  one  alone.  From  each 
82 


Trigger-Teaching 

lesson  he  will  select  one  truth,  and  one  only,  which 
he  will  treat  with  all  the  ardor  of  a  lawyer  arguing  a 
matter  of  life  or  death.  Above  all,  he  will  remember 
that  the  Spirit  alone  quickeneth,  and  will  earnestly 
pray  that  fire  from  heaven  may  be  added  to  his  own 
little  fulminating  cap. 

But  many  a  teacher,  conscious  of  all  that  I  have 
been  saying,  does  not  know  how  to  pull  the  trigger. 
It  is  not  so  simple  in  the  Sunday-school  as  in  the 
school  of  the  battalion.  The  artful  teacher  will  find 
many  ways  of  trigger-pulling,  suited  to  the  diverse 
and  changing  needs  of  his  class  and  of  his  topic. 
Sometimes  he  will  put  in  the  scholars'  hands  paper 
and  pencil,  and  set  them  to  writing  or  drawing.  Some- 
times he  will  send  them  in  turn  to  his  blackboard. 
Sometimes  he  will  elicit  the  entire  story  from  one, 
sometimes  from  ten.  Sometimes  he  will  introduce 
pictures  for  them  to  talk  about,  or  maps  for  them  to 
travel  over,  or  objects  for  them  to  group  their  words 
and  thoughts  around.  Always,  however,  he  will  re- 
member that  his  best  trigger  is  the  little  trigger-shaped 
interrogation-point.  He  will  ask  questions  himself 
with  the  effectiveness  born  of  careful  preparation. 
Better  than  that,  he  will  get  his  scholars  to  ask  ques- 
tions. In  all  these  ways,  and  as  many  more  as  there 
are  Sundays  in  the  year,  the  wise  teacher  will  pull 
the  trigger. 

Let  no  one  pass  from  big-gun  teaching  to  trigger- 
teaching  with  the  idea  that  the  latter  will  prove  the 
easier.  It  is  far  more  difficult  to  make  the  cartridge 


Sunday-School  Success 

than  to  pick  up  and  cany  the  ball  which  the  cartridge 
would  propel ;  but,  for  effective  and  profitable  teach- 
ing, better  ten  minutes'  work  done  by  the  class  than 
an  hour's  work  done  by  you  in  the  presence  of  the 
class,  even  though  to  do  the  latter  is  far  easier  than 
to  elicit  the  former. 

If — as  those  who  have  been  doing  it  all  themselves 
will  doubtless  find  it — this  trigger-teaching  comes 
especially  hard  at  first,  let  them  begin  with  getting 
their  scholars  to  do  something  at  first  hand,  though 
only  a  little,  and  let  them  work  their  way  slowly  to 
the  pedagogical  perfection  of  getting  their  scholars 
to  do  everything. 

And  does  any  one  fear  that  this  will  destroy  the 
personality  and  personal  influence  of  the  teacher? 
On  the  contrary,  the  trigger-teacher  has  to  put  ten 
times  more  of  himself  into  every  lesson  than  the  big- 
gun  teacher.  The  scholars  get  more  of  his  personality, 
at  the  same  time  that  they  are  gloriously,  though 
unconsciously,  developing  their  own. 


Chapter  XIV 
Galvanic  Teaching 

IN  his  exceedingly  suggestive  book  entitled  "  Be- 
fore an  Audience  "  Mr.  Shepard  insists  strenuously 
on  what  he  calls  "  physical  earnestness  "  in  a  speaker. 
It  is  not  meant  by  this  that  we  are  to  go  before  our 
scholars  with  our  nerves  a-quiver,  with  headaches 
coming  on,  with  our  brains  throbbing  and  our  muscles 
drawn  tight.  A  speaker  must  be,  as  Mr.  Shepard 
insists,  an  animal  galvanic  battery  on  two  legs.  He 
must  be  at  something  corresponding  to  electric  ten- 
sion. He  must  be  in  earnest  with  his  body,  not  lazy 
with  it.  No  teacher  who  is  not  spirited  will  succeed 
with  children,  or  with  any  one,  long. 

Nothing  will  more  quickly  win  and  permanently 
hold  a  child's  attention  than  earnestness.  Children's 
capacity  for  serious  thinking  is  greatly  undervalued. 
There  is  more  philosophy  in  them  than  you  dream  of. 
They  are  very  much  in  earnest  themselves,  and  they 
rejoice  to  see  other  people  very  much  in  earnest. 

I  do  not  mean  by  this  that  one  should  always  be 
85 


Sunday-School  Success 

serious  with  them.  Nothing  will  gain  their  attention 
more  than  a  joke ;  but  joking  with  children  is  as 
dangerous  as  feeding  them  candy.  They  have  no 
more  taste  henceforth  for  anything  else,  and  to  keep 
their  attention  you  must  continue  to  feed  them  candy 
and  deal  out  jokes.  The  most  successful  teachers  of 
children,  judging  not  by  the  interest  of  the  children  so 
much  as  by  permanent  spiritual  results,  are  those  that 
are  always  deeply  in  earnest ;  and  yet  their  earnest- 
ness is  shot  through  and  through  with  the  sunshine. 

The  intensity  I  am  advocating  must  not  be  the 
intensity  of  an  auger,  that  bores.  Oh,  if  teachers 
only  knew  enough  not  to  teach  too  much !  If  one 
good  idea  is  got  into  the  heads  of  the  children  as  the 
result  of  the  lesson  half-hour,  then  you  have  scored 
a  victory.  If  you  try  to  get  in  eight  good  ideas,  you 
will  not  score  one-eighth  of  a  victory.  Some  teachers 
that  I  know  want  to  get  the  whole  body  of  theology 
and  the  entire  system  of  ethics  into  each  lesson. 
They  skip  with  haste  from  truth  to  mighty  truth, 
crowding  into  a  lesson  twenty  weighty  points,  each 
one  of  which  would  be  amply  sufficient  for  the  half- 
hour.  The  result  is  an  impossibility  of  attention,  for 
not  enough  is  given  about  any  one  thing  to  fix  it  and 
hold  it  down. 

Our  Sunday-school  teaching  reminds  me  some- 
times of  a  daily  paper— all  cut  up  into  paragraphic 
articles ;  and  if  there  is  any  topic  of  universal  know- 
ledge omitted,  it  will  appear  in  the  evening  edition. 
A  confirmed  newspaper  reader  has  become  incapable 
86 


Galvanic  Teaching 

of  following  an  extended  discussion,  or  of  reading  a 
book.  I  have  stood  before  Sunday-school  classes  to 
which  their  teacher  was  in  the  habit  of  propounding 
a  series  of  disconnected  questions  from  a  book  or 
paper,  and  I  have  found  it  quite  impossible  to  hold 
the  attention  of  such  classes  for  any  length  of  time 
on  one  matter.  They  were  anxious  for  another  para- 
graph, for  fresh  head-lines,  for  a  change  of  subject. 

Most  Sunday-school  lessons  are  fruitful  of  multi- 
tudinous suggestions.  Let  us  not  teach  so  much  that 
we  teach  nothing,  or,  worse  than  nothing,  instruct  in 
mental  dissipation  instead  of  mental  concentration. 
We  prepare  for  teaching  with  the  lesson  hour  in  view ; 
we  should  rather  have  in  view  the  hour  following  the 
lesson  hour.  What  impression  do  we  intend  the  les- 
son to  make?  How  are  we  going  to  make  the  lesson 
stand  out  in  relief? 

I  must  now  set  off  against  the  law  of  intensity  the 
complementary  law  of  motion.  A  mesmeric  patient 
is  sent  into  the  hypnotic  trance  by  continued  staring 
at  the  same  stationary  object.  This  looks  like  per- 
fect attention,  but  it  results  in  sleep.  There  is  a 
verbal  hypnotism  that  is  very  common  when  teachers 
are  trying  to  impress  an  idea  by  holding  it  up  stolidly 
and  persistently  before  the  eyes  of  their  scholars. 
That  is  not  what  I  mean  by  intensity,  and  it  is  one 
of  the  commonest  ways  of  destroying  attention. 

If  you  are  anxious  to  impress  a  truth  and  yet  hold 
attention,  you  must  do  it  by  presenting  now  this  side 
of  the  truth  and  now  that,  now  with  parable  and  now 
87 


Sunday-School  Success 

with  allegory,  now  with  appeal  and  now  with  testi- 
mony, experience,  quotation,  objects.  Arrived  at  the 
end,  do  not  press  the  point  against  the  scholars  and 
stick  it  into  them,  but  if  they  do  not  see  it,  go  back 
and  pass  over  the  matter  in  a  different  way. 

Moving  bodies  draw  and  hold  the  eye.  Every  one 
must  look  at  a  shooting  star,  a  jumping  horse,  a  run- 
ning man,  a  flying  bird,  a  rising  kite.  To  keep  atten- 
tion, our  lessons  must  have  what  the  critics  of  novels 
call  "  movement."  There  is  to  be  no  still  life  in  our 
pictures.  Everything  must  be  stirring,  dramatic. 

An  accomplished  teacher  must  have  the  power  of 
painting  word-pictures.  It  is  not  a  difficult  art. 
Hard  study  and  zealous  "putting  yourself  in  his 
place"  will  accomplish  it.  Some  way  or  other  we 
must  get  the  persons  of  the  lesson  clearly  before  our 
scholars'  eyes,  the  scenes  as  if  the  scholars  were  sur- 
rounded by  them,  if  we  would  maintain  their  atten- 
tion. And  even  if  the  lesson  is  impersonal,  we  must 
dramatize  it,  we  must  invent  situations  and  persons 
to  illustrate  the  abstract  thought,  or  we  must  draw 
illustrations  from  real  history.  These  must  all  be 
real  to  us,  or  they  will  never  be  real  to  our  scholars. 
Pictures  always  hold  the  attention  of  children.  Let  us 
remember  this  when  we  talk  to  them.  Children  are 
fond  of  motion.  Let  our  teaching  move  briskly,  then. 


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Chapter  XV 
Serial  Teaching 

THERE  are  short-story  writers  who  are  able  to  hold 
our  attention  charmingly  for  an  episode,  and  there  are 
other  minds  which  are  able  to  lead  us  entranced 
through  the  varied  scenes  of  a  long  serial.  So  also 
there  is  short-story  Sunday-school  teaching  and  serial 
Sunday-school  teaching.  Short-story  teaching  treats 
each  lesson  as  a  separate  unit;  serial  teaching  con- 
siders each  lesson  a  part  only  of  a  great,  united  whole. 

Short-story  teaching  is  far  easier  than  serial  teach- 
ing. It  is  concerned  with  but  one  set  of  circum- 
stances, persons,  and  principles.  For  the  serial 
teacher,  on  the  contrary,  every  lesson  must  include  a 
review  and  a  prospectus.  He  must  learn  to  see 
things  in  their  relations.  He  must  have  a  good 
memory,  and  a  better  imagination,  to  make  his 
memory  buoyant.  This  is  not  easy ;  and  therefore  it 
is  that  short-story  teaching  is  much  commoner  than 
serial  teaching. 

And  yet  serial  teaching  is  the  right  kind  of  teach- 
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Sunday-School  Success 

ing,  for  the  following  reasons.  Just  as  a  fine  serial 
story  adds  to  the  enthusiasm  for  good  numbers  of  a 
periodical,  and  tides  over  poor  numbers,  so,  if  you  can 
get  up  a  serial  interest  in  your  teaching,  it  will  increase 
the  interest  of  the  good  days,  and  will  tide  over  with 
full  seats  and  bright  eyes  the  rainy,  or  cold,  or  hot,  or 
sleepy  days. 

Besides,  Christianity  is  a  whole,  and  each  of  its 
many  parts  interdependent.  We  must  not  teach  it, 
therefore,  as  if  it  were  a  patchwork,  capable  of  being 
taken  apart  and  put  together  as  men  will.  We  do 
wrong  to  the  great  system  we  teach,  if  our  lessons  do 
not  leave  the  impression  of  a  vast,  coherent  fabric,— 
too  vast  for  one  lesson  to  disclose,  too  coherent  for 
one  lesson  to  stand  out  apart. 

Besides,  however  our  lessons  may  change,  our 
scholars  are  still  the  same;  and  this  continuity  of 
listeners  should  impart  a  serial  interest  to  the  teach- 
ing. Cause  the  scholars  to  feel  that  each  lesson  is  to 
make  definite  contribution  to  their  growth  in  know- 
ledge and  character.  It  won't  hurt  them  if  they  are 
as  mechanical  about  it  as  Peter,  and  enumerate,  les- 
son after  lesson,  as  in  the  apostle's  famous  addition- 
table,  the  virtues  those  lessons  may  add  to  their  lives. 

For  these  three  reasons,  then,  our  teaching  should 
contain  some  strong  element  of  serial  interest.  Many 
teachers  err  in  using  only  one  sort  of  connecting  link, 
year  in,  year  out,  and  are  as  likely  to  fail  as  the 
periodical  which  always  prints  serial  stories  of  the 
same  kind  of  plot,  scenes,  and  characters.  I  will 
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Serial  Teaching 

mention  several  serial  elements  which  a  wise  teacher 
will  use  in  turn,  holding  to  one  long  enough  for  prof- 
it, but  not  too  long  for  interest. 

In  the  first  place,  it  is  often  well  to  make  the  serial 
biographical.  Your  serial  has  then  a  hero.  Moses, 
Joshua,  Samuel,  Saul,  David,  Solomon,  Elijah,  Elisha, 
Daniel,  John,  Peter,  Paul,  Mary, — what  glorious 
groups  of  chapters  these  names  bind  together!  If 
we  are  zealous,  patient,  and  imaginative,  we  can  easily, 
with  this  magnificent  material,  construct  for  our 
classes  serials  whose  absorbing  interest  will  vie  with 
any  in  their  pet  weekly  story-paper.  We  can  lead 
them  to  eager  study  of  a  man's  development  in  char- 
acter and  in  fortune. 

At  other  times  it  is  better  to  trust  for  the  serial  in- 
terest to  history, — to  study  the  evolution  of  a  nation 
as  before  of  a  man.  The  wondrous  tale  of  the  rise 
of  the  Hebrews  from  Abraham,  their  metamorphosis 
under  Moses,  their  consolidation  under  judges,  their 
expansion  under  kings,  their  division,  their  downfall, 
their  restoration,  their  subjugation,  their  new  birth  in 
Him  who  was  before  Abraham, — this  story  may  be 
made  to  have  a  deep  and  constant  serial  interest. 

Of  course,  with  either  the  biographical  or  historical 
serial  plan,  great  pains  must  be  taken  with  that  bug- 
bear of  the  average  teacher, — what  the  lesson-helps 
call  intervening  events,  but  many  a  scholar  calls  in- 
tervening mystifications.  Often  fully  half  the  lesson- 
time  should  be  given  to  them.  Usually  the  antecedents 
they  contain  are  absolutely  necessary  for  an  under- 
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Sunday-School  Success 

standing  of  the  lesson, — text,  persons,  and  principles. 
With  them  you  teach  history;  without,  episodes. 
They  mean  work,  to  be  sure;  but  all  unifying  and 
solidifying  means  work. 

At  still  other  times  or  with  other  classes  it  is  well 
to  let  the  serial  interest  center  around  principles. 
Treat  one  group  of  lessons  as  illustrating  the  manly 
or  unmanly  qualities;  consider  another  group  pri- 
marily as  a  commentary  on  truth  and  falsehood ;  let 
your  binding  topic  for  another  set  be  "  What  is  True 
Religion?"  "Sin  and  Salvation,"  "Serving  and 
Served,"  "  Success  and  Failure," — how  many  lessons 
could  be  clustered  naturally  about  these  topics! 
Children  are  characteristically  philosophers,  and  a 
treatment  of  Sunday-school  lessons  as  illustrating 
different  phases  of  some  great  truth  is  a  method  very 
attractive  to  them.  "What  does  the  Bible  teach 
about  truth- telling,  about  penalty  for  sin,  about  the 
conditions  of  happiness?  "  Sunday-school  scholars 
should  be  ready  to  answer  such  questions,  not  by 
haphazard  impromptus,  but  by  a  careful  presentation 
of  events,  characters,  and  sayings  bearing  on  each 
point,  and  representing  the  whole  Bible. 

Another  excellent  way  of  binding  lessons  together 
is  by  the  scholars  themselves.  As  I  said,  however  the 
lessons  change,  the  scholars  remain  the  same,  with  the 
same  prominent  troubles,  faults,  and  needs.  Both 
they  and  you  should  know  what  these  are.  I  often 
have  scholars  who  bring  up,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  in 
connection  with  topics  the  most  diverse,  the  same 
92 


Serial  Teaching 

questions,  which  are  evidently  stumbling-blocks  to 
their  minds  and  lives.  These  are  usually  practical 
matters  wherein  the  Christian  imperatives  are  strangely 
incongruous  with  worldly  habits,  such  as  the  choice 
of  a  calling,  absolute  frankness  of  speech,  public  tes- 
timony for  Christ,  the  careful  observance  of  the  Sab- 
bath, sharp  competition  in  trade.  These  are  too  big 
questions  to  be  settled  in  a  few  minutes,  and  young 
folks  who  are  seized  by  them  in  earnest  have  found 
for  themselves  a  serial  interest  which  will  last  for 
some  time. 

If  we  cannot  take  advantage  of  such  a  linking 
which  our  scholars  discover  for  themselves,  we  can 
always  bind  lessons  together  by  our  own  knowledge 
of  our  scholars'  needs.  If  you  have  a  young  man  in 
your  class  to  whom  the  skepticism  of  the  times  is 
alluring,  let  him  find  something  faith-inspiring  and 
confirmatory  of  belief  in  every  lesson.  If  you  have 
a  young  girl  burdened  with  sick-room  duties  and  home 
cares  beyond  her  strength,  let  her  know  that  each 
lesson  will  bring  her  fresh  energy  and  comfort.  You 
need  not  tell  your  scholars  that  you  know  their  strug- 
gles. Enough  that  you  do  know  them,  and  link  lesson 
to  lesson  for  them  in  sweet  chains  of  love  and  help- 
fulness. 

When,  by  any  of  the  four  methods  I  have  outlined, 
you  thus  establish  a  bond  between  your  lessons,  you 
have  gained  two  great  advantages  besides  the  serial 
interest  which  you  have  aroused.  In  the  first  place, 
you  study  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  not  by  extracts. 
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Sunday-School  Success 

You  learn  to  interpret  one  portion  by  another.  You 
find  out  the  fallacy  of  fragments.  You  perceive  that 
Christianity  is  a  system,  and  not  an  anthology.  In 
the  second  place,  you  have  solved  the  review  problem, 
for  every  lesson  is  now  a  review.  If  you  were  re- 
quired to  remember,  in  order,  twelve  words  chosen  at 
random,  you  would  find  it  somewhat  difficult ;  but  it 
would  be  easy  enough  if  those  twelve  words  were  ar- 
ranged in  a  sentence.  Serial  teaching  is  building  up 
a  sentence,  and  the  review  is  merely  repeating  that 
sentence.  A  serial  teacher  has  no  fear  of  review  day. 
The  short-story  teacher  is  compelled  to  find  for  that 
day  a  new  short  story. 

Now,  have  I  not  reserved  mention  of  the  one  great 
tie  of  all  our  teaching?  Whether  Old  Testament  or 
New,  history,  prophecy,  proverbs,  or  psalms,  it  is  all 
one  continued  story,  and  the  hero  is  Christ.  By  what- 
ever unifying  principle  we  group  our  lessons  together, 
Christ  unifies  the  groups.  Year  in,  year  out,  if  Christ 
is  at  the  heart  of  our  teaching,  that  teaching  is  consec- 
utive, serial,  solid.  Without  him,  it  is  disjointed,  frag- 
mentary, frail.  Not  retracting  a  word  I  have  written 
about  the  value  of  these  other  methods  of  arousing 
continued  interest,  yet  it  must  be  said  that  they  are  all 
worthless  without  Christ.  In  him  each  several  build- 
ing, fitly  framed  together,  groweth  into  a  holy  temple 
in  the  Lord. 


94 


Chapter  XVI 
Teaching  the  Psalms 

THE  Lesson  Committee  often  assigns  us  two  or 
three  lessons  in  a  book,  and  from  these  few  lessons  the 
scholars  must  get  some  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  entire  book.  A  book  study,  therefore,  will  not  be 
out  of  place  in  this  series  of  suggestions  to  teachers, 
and  I  have  chosen  the  Psalms,  since  they  are  likely 
to  be  most  fruitful  of  hints  as  to  the  teaching  of  other 
books. 

A  systematic  knowledge  of  the  Psalms  is  rarely 
sought  after.  Only  one  book  of  the  Bible  is  more 
loved :  the  Gospel  of  John ;  only  one  is  read  less 
methodically :  the  Book  of  Proverbs. 

It  is  the  fault  of  many  teachers  that  they  teach  all 
books  of  the  Bible  in  the  same  way.  Prophecy,  his- 
tory, poetry,  prose,  Ruth  and  Revelation,  John  and 
Judges,— it  is  all  one  to  them.  The  Psalms,  like  all 
other  books  of  the  Bible,  are  unique,  and  need  their 
own  especial  mode  of  treatment.  Here  are  some  hints 
concerning  this  treatment. 
95 


Sunday-School  Success 

Get  first,  from  the  Revised  Version,  a  comprehen- 
sive idea  of  the  five  Books  of  Psalms,  with  their  similar 
endings.  Note  their  length  and  the  total  number  of 
psalms.  From  the  Bible  dictionary  learn  what  you 
can  about  the  time  when  these  books  were  collected, 
and  the  probable  authors  of  the  anonymous  psalms. 

Study  the  psalms  by  types.  We  have  the  First 
Psalm,  which  contrasts  the  good  and  evil.  Psalms 
of  the  Good  are  i,  26,  41,  72,  94,  101,  126,  137, 
128,  144.  Psalms  of  the  Evil  are  10,  14,  36,  37, 

49,  52»  53,  58»64»  73>82»  109»  129»  X4°-  The  Second 
is  a  Psalm  of  Power.  Others  are  n,  21,  24,  29,  47, 
48,  60,  76,  77,  83,  97,  108,  in,  114,  139.  The 
Nineteenth  and  the  One  Hundred  and  Third  are 
Psalms  of  Praise.  With  these  study  8,  9,  18,  30, 
33.  34,  44,  65,  66,  67,  68,  75,  85,  89,  90,  92,  93,95, 
96,  98,  99,  100,  104,  105,  106,  107,  112,  113,  117, 
118,  134,  135,  136,  138,  145,  146,  147,  148,  149, 
150.  The  Second  and  the  Seventy-second  are 
Messianic  Psalms.  So  also  are  Psalms  45  and  no. 
The  Twenty-third  is  a  Psalm  of  Trust.  Similar  psalms 
are  4,  7,  16,  27,  31,  56,  62,  71,  91,  125,  131.  The 
Fifty-first  is  a  Psalm  of  Forgiveness.  Such,  too,  are 
2 5,  32,  39,  4°,  8°,  81.  With  Psalm  84,  a  Psalm  of 
Worship,  go  15,  42,  50,  57,  63,  87,  115,  122,  132, 
133.  Besides  these,  the  following  may  be  classified 
as  Psalms  of  Help:  3,  12,  20,  35,  43,  46,  59,  61, 
70,  79,  121,  1 24 ;  the  following  as  Psalms  of  Sorrow : 
6,  13,  22,  38,  55,  69,  74,  88,  102,  120,  137,  143 ;  and 
the  following  as  Psalms  of  Prayer:  5,  17,  28,  54, 
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Teaching  the  Psalms 

86,  116,  123,  130,  141,  142.  Psalms  78  and  119  are 
Psalms  of  the  Law.  Of  course,  this  is  only  a  rough 
classification  of  the  psalms.  It  will  be  a  pleasant  and 
valuable  task  for  you  to  classify  them  more  elaborately. 

Read  again  the  life  of  David,  found  in  the  passage 
from  i  Samuel  16:1  to  i  Kings  2:11.  In  connec- 
tion with  each  psalm  you  read,  think  what  may  have 
been  the  king's  fortunes  when  he  wrote  it,  or  what 
experience  of  his  may  have  prompted  it.  This  psalm 
of  sorrow  may  have  had  birth  in  Absalom's  revolt ; 
'this  song  of  trust  may  have  welled  from  a  rock  of 
hiding  in  the  desert ;  this  hymn  of  triumphant  strain 
may  have  celebrated  some  victory  over  Saul  or  the 
Syrians ;  this  pleading  for  forgiveness  may  have  been 
a  wail  over  Uriah. 

The  psalms  are  all  dramatic.  Here,  more  than  any- 
where in  the  study  of  the  Bible,  you  need  to  use  imag- 
ination, to  "  put  yourself  in  his  place."  The  psalms 
are  in  the  first  person.  Fancy  yourself  the  psalmist 
as  you  read  his  songs.  Pray  his  prayers,  exult  in  his 
praise,  beat  your  breast  with  his  agony  of  shame,  be 
calm  in  his  assurance  of  forgiveness  and  peace. 

In  like  manner,  as  you  prepare  to  teach,  fancy  times 
in  your  scholars'  lives  to  which  these  psalms  will  apply, 
times  when  it  would  be  well  for  them  to  sing  these 
psalms,  and  teach  with  these  times  in  clear  view. 

Be  sure  thus  to  translate  David's  experience  into 

that  of  your  scholars.    These  psalms  are  of  universal 

moment,  as  they  come  so  directly  from  David's  heart, 

and  God's;  and  yet  they  need  this  translation,  be- 

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Sunday-School  Success 

cause  David's  surroundings  were  not  ours.  His  foes, 
his  sins,  his  exiles,  his  triumphs,  were  not  ours  in  form, 
however  much  the  same  in  reality. 

There  are  frequent  quotations  of  the  psalms  to  be 
found  in  the  later  books  of  the  Bible.  These,  espe- 
cially those  made  by  Christ  and  the  apostles,  consti- 
tute a  priceless  commentary.  Search  for  them  with 
the  help  of  a  concordance  or  a  reference  Bible. 

Aside  from  this,  the  psalms  are  especially  fit  for 
illustrative  quotations,  and  the  children  may  be  in- 
spired to  gather  them  eagerly.  Assign  to  each  scholar 
a  verse  for  illustration  from  some  other  part  of  the 
Bible,  in  some  such  way  as  this : 
"  The  Lord  is  my  shepherd." 

"  I  am  the  good  shepherd.     The  good  shepherd 
layeth  down  his  life  for  the  sheep  "(John  10:  n). 
"  I  shall  not  want." 

"  Your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  ye  have  need 
of  all  these  things.    But  seek  ye  first  his  kingdom 
and  his  righteousness,  and  all  these  things  shall 
be  added  unto  you  "  (Matt.  7  :  32,  33). 
"  He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures" 

"  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy 
laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest"  (Matt,  n  :  28). 
"  He  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters" 

"  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst ;  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  become  in  him  a  well  of  water, 
springing  up  unto  eternal  life  "  (John  4 :  14). 
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Teaching  the  Psalms 

" He  restoreth  my  soul" 

"  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life  "  (John  1 1 : 25). 
"  He  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for  his 

name's  sake." 

"  I  am  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life :    no 
one  cometh  unto  the  Father,  but  by  me  "  (John 
14:6). 
"  Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow 

of  death,  I  will  fear  no  evil" 
"  Whosoever  liveth  and  believeth  in  me  shall  never 

die"  (John  n:  26). 
"  For  thou  art  with  me" 

"  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of 

the  world  "  (Matt.  28 :  20). 
"  Thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me" 

"  I  will  pray  the  Father,  and  he  shall  give  you 
another  Comforter,  that  he  may  be  with  you  for- 
ever, even  the  Spirit  of  truth  "  (John  14 :  16, 17). 
"  Thou  prepare st  a  table  before  me  in  the  presence  of 

mine  enemies." 
"  I  am  the  bread  of  life.     He  that  cometh  to  me 

shall  not  hunger"  (John  6 :  35). 
"  Thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil." 

"  Grace  and  peace  .  .   .  from  Jesus  the  anointed, 
.  .  .  who  has  made  us  to  be  kings  and  priests 
unto  his  God  and  Father  "  (Rev.  i :  4-6). 
"  My  cup  runneth  over." 

"  The  cup  of  blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  a  par- 
ticipation in  the  blood  of  Christ?"  (i  Cor.  10:16.) 
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Sunday-School  Success 

"  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me  all  the 
days  of  my  life" 

"These  things  have  I  spoken  unto  you,  that  my 
joy  may  be  in  you,  and  that  your  joy  may  be 
fulfilled"  (John  15:  n). 
"  And  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord  forever" 

"  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  abiding-places. 
...  I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for  you  "  (John 
14:  2). 

In  preparing  for  this  exercise  the  children  will  learn 
how  to  use  the  Bible  index  and  the  concordance. 

Watch  the  paragraphs  of  the  Revised  Version. 
They  make  useful  indications  of  the  passage  from  one 
thought  to  the  other. 

The  psalms  lend  themselves  well  to  the  useful  ex- 
ercises of  analysis,  condensation,  and  paraphrase. 
Get  your  scholars  to  write  out  for  you,  one,  a  brief 
tabular  statement  of  the  contents  of  the  psalm; 
another,  the  thought  of  the  psalm  in  words  of  his 
own ;  a  third,  the  substance  of  the  psalm,  with  all 
superfluous  words  and  repetitions  omitted. 

It  is  a  capital  plan  to  underscore  in  your  Bibles, 
and  get  your  scholars  in  the  course  of  the  lesson  to 
underscore  in  theirs,  the  key-sentences  of  the  psalm. 
In  the  First  Psalm,  for  instance,  you  have  in  bold  re- 
lief the  main  thought  of  the  six  verses  if  you  under- 
score "  Blessed  is  the  man  that  walketh  not  in  the 
counsel  of  the  wicked.  Whatsoever  he  doeth  shall 
prosper.  The  wicked  are  not  so."  There  is  your 
outline. 

too 


Teaching  the  Psalms 

Do  not  rest  satisfied  until,  for  your  scholars  and  for 
you,  the  psalm  you  are  studying  is  a  unit,  and  stands 
out  in  your  minds  with  clear-cut  individuality.  It  is 
especially  necessary  to  get  through  with  the  entire 
text  when  your  lesson  is  in  the  Psalms.  It  is  not  like 
a  series  of  disconnected  proverbs :  it  is  a  picture ;  and 
your  understanding  of  it  will  lack  some  essential  part 
until  you  have  all  the  verses. 

Indeed,  I  would  go  over  each  psalm  with  the  class 
at  least  five  times,  rapidly :  first,  to  remove  stumbling- 
blocks  of  strange  customs  and  expressions;  second, 
to  grasp  the  general  thought ;  third,  to  get  its  appli- 
cation to  David's  life ;  fourth,  to  get  its  lesson  for  our 
lives;  fifth,  a  verse-by-verse  study  for  all  possible 
side-lights  and  instruction. 

Observe  the  parallel  expressions.  Use  only  the 
Revised  Version,  which  correctly  prints  the  psalms 
as  poetry.  Read  them  rhythmically ;  chant  them ; 
intone  them ;  get  the  impression  of  songs.  Come  to 
feel  the  beauty  and  meaning  of  the  frequent  refrains. 

Go  on  a  tour  of  discovery,  seeking  for  the  noble 
metrical  translations  of  these  psalms  found  in  our 
hymn-books  and  religious  anthologies.  For  Psalm 
19  read  Addison's  magnificent  hymn,  "The  spacious 
firmament  on  high";  for  Psalm  103,  H.  F.  Lyte's 
"  Praise,  my  soul,  the  King  of  heaven,"  or  Isaac 
Watts'  "  My  soul,  repeat  His  praise " ;  for  Psalm 
72,  James  Montgomery's  "Hail  to  the  Lord's 
Anointed,  great  David's  greater  Son!  "  or  Isaac  Watts' 
"  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun  does  his  succes- 
101 


Sunday-School  Success 

sive  journeys  run";  for  Psalm  84,  H.  F.  Lyte's 
"  Pleasant  are  Thy  courts  above,"  or  Isaac  Watts' 
"  Lord  of  the  worlds  above  " ;  for  Psalm  23,  Addi- 
son's  "  The  Lord  my  pasture  shall  prepare,"  or  others 
more  familiar ;  and  for  other  psalms  the  same  writers, 
with  Wesley,  John  Newton,  Scott,  and  many  more. 
Your  scholars  will  be  interested  in  searching  for  these, 
and  bringing  them  in. 

Suppose  we  were  studying  an  English  hymn-book. 
What  would  we  ask  first  about  each  hymn?  We 
would  ask  what  sentiment  it  was  capable  of  inspiring. 
The  same  question  is  to  be  asked  about  these  inspired 
hymns ;  and  throughout  each  of  them  we  are  to  trace 
not  so  much  a  train  of  thought  as  a  train  of  feeling. 

The  psalms  are  subjective,  and  for  that  reason  are 
particularly  hard,  some  of  them,  for  children  to  appre- 
ciate. We  must  interpret  them  all  the  more  thoroughly 
by  objective  illustrations.  Here  the  ordinary  prob- 
lem is  reversed.  In  our  ordinary  lessons  the  exam- 
ple from  real  life  is  given,  and  from  it  the  teacher 
must  draw  spiritual  lessons.  Here  the  spiritual  med- 
itation is  given,  to  be  applied  to  real  life. 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  psalms  are  eminently 
pictorial,  and  especially  adapted  to  illustration.  See 
how  many  pictures  are  suggested  by  the  following 
words  from  the  most  famous  of  the  psalms :  "  shep- 
herd," "  want,"  "  lie  down,"  "  green  pastures,"  "  lead- 
eth,"  "still  waters,"  "guideth,"  "paths,"  "valley  of 
the  shadow,"  "rod  and  staff,"  "a  table  prepared," 
"enemies,"  "anointed,"  "cup  runneth  over."  All 

102 


Teaching  the  Psalms 

such  pictures  should  be  gathered,  and  used  to  make 
the  lesson  vivid  to  the  picture-loving  little  ones. 

There  is  especial  need  in  teaching  the  psalms  to 
explain  how  the  force  of  imagery  varies  with  varying 
conditions  of  climate  and  modes  of  life ;  how  much 
more,  for  instance,  was  meant  to  David  than  to  us 
by  such  symbols  as  "a  rock,"  "shadow,"  "sun," 
"  shield,"  "  water-courses  " ! 

Children  are  fond  of  metaphors,  but  they  make 
comical  blunders  with  them,  and  deal,  unless  we  are 
careful,  all  too  literally  with  such  passages  as  "  a  table 
in  the  presence  of  mine  enemies,"  "the  wicked  are 
like  the  chaff,"  "  the  congregation  of  the  righteous," 
"  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron."  If  the  teacher  is 
in  doubt  just  how  far  to  carry  these  metaphors,  I  know 
no  better  example  of  the  wise  and  beautiful  use  of 
them  than  Bunyan's  "  Pilgrim's  Progress."  The  read- 
ing of  that  book  will  make  a  capital  preparation  for 
the  teaching  of  the  psalms. 

Few  lessons  in  the  seven  years'  course  will  be  so 
admirable  as  these  for  committing  to  memory.  If 
you  want  to  inspire  your  class  to  better  work  in  that 
line,  now  is  your  time. 

Note  that  the  psalms  are  all  optimistic.  Sound  their 
key-note  of  peace  and  joy. 

Here,  if  anywhere  in  the  Bible,  spiritual  teaching 
is  needed.  An  essential  part  of  the  preparation  for 
teaching  the  psalms  is  devout  prayer. 


103 


Chapter  XVII 
Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

INTEMPERANCE  is  the  church's  greatest  foe,  mis- 
sions her  greatest  task.  Around  these  two  topics 
cluster  the  highest  chivalry,  the  most  splendid  ro- 
mance, of  our  modern  world.  The  shout  of  the  battle 
is  in  them,  the  sweep  of  the  regiment.  No  lessons 
are  more  important  than  those  devoted  to  these  two 
great  themes,  and  none  can  be  made  more  interesting. 

And  yet  to  many  a  teacher  they  are  bugbears.  To 
these  eight  lessons — one  sixth  of  the  whole — they  go 
with  dull  hearts.  They  do  wish  the  Lesson  Com- 
mittee would  leave  them  out  of  the  list. 

What  is  the  trouble?  There  is  no  life  back  of  the 
lesson.  They  have  "  got  up  "  their  lesson  as  best 
they  can ;  but  a  lesson  is  not  got  up,  it  grows  up. 
They  do  not  know  enough  about  missions  and  the 
temperance  reform  to  be  interested  in  them.  No 
information,  no  inspiration. 

To  be  sure,  there  are  few  passages  in  the  Bible 
suitable  for  use  in  temperance  lessons,  and  but  few 
104 


Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

referring  directly  to  such  enterprises  as  modern  mis- 
sions. The  Acts  record  merely  the  beginnings  of 
missions,  and  intemperance  was  scarcely  a  problem 
in  New  Testament  days.  Nevertheless,  both  tem- 
perance and  missions  find  in  the  Book  their  funda- 
mental and  sufficient  inspiration ;  and  taking  our 
starting-point  from  the  lesson  text,  we  may  fairly 
launch  forth  into  seas  as  wide  as  the  world  of  men 
and  action. 

Indeed,  so  multiform  are  the  phases  of  these  two 
topics  that  to  avoid  confusion  and  leave  clear  im- 
pressions every  temperance  or  missionary  lesson 
should  have  a  specialty.  Let  me  indicate  a  few  of 
the  many  possible  themes. 

1.  A  Bible  Search. — Spend  the  hour  hunting  out 
everything  the  Bible  says  upon  temperance,  or  all  the 
leading  passages  bearing  on  missions.     The  scholars 
will  read  them  aloud.     Some  verses  they  will  repeat 
from  memory.     They  will  mark  them  with  colored 
pencils  in  their  Bibles.     They  will  discover  the  cen- 
tral thought  in  each  reference  and  write  it  on  the 
blackboard,  thus  building  up  a  compact   summary. 
The  exercise  has  an  air  of  finality  that  will  please 
the  scholars. 

2.  A  Biographical  Lesson.— -Let  everything  cluster 
around  some  great  leader  in  missions  or  the  temper- 
ance reform.     For  the  latter,  select  John  B.  Gough, 
Miss  Willard,  Lady  Henry  Somerset,  Father  Mathew, 
Francis  Murphy.    For  the  great  missionaries, — India : 
Carey,  Heber,  Martyn;  Burmah:  Judson;  China: 

105 


Sunday-School  Success 

Nevius,  Morrison,  Gilmour;  Japan:  Neesima;  Oce- 
anica:  Coan,  Paton,  Patteson;  America:  Gardiner, 
Eliot,  Whitman,  Brajnerd;  Turkey:  Schauffler, 
Dwight,  Hamlin ;  Africa :  Livingstone,  Mackay,  Mof- 
fat,  Taylor,  Hannington.  There  is  material  enough 
for  a  lifetime  of  teaching! 

Get  as  many  scholars  as  possible  to  read  before- 
hand in  the  encyclopedia  a  short  account  of  the  chosen 
life.  One  of  the  class  may  write  a  five-minute  essay 
upon  the  hero.  Characteristic  anecdotes  concerning 
him  may  be  distributed  among  the  scholars  for  each 
to  relate.  No  better  series  of  short  missionary  biog- 
raphies was  ever  published  than  that  sold  by  the 
publishers  of  this  book  at  the  low  price  of  50  or  75 
cents  a  volume.  Use  them.  If  the  class  during  the 
hour  can  really  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  great 
missionary  or  reformer,  it  will  be  vast  gain. 

Another  and  most  profitable  kind  of  biographical 
meeting  may  be  based,  not  upon  single  lives,  but 
upon  a  group  of  lives.  Study  "  The  Great  Mission- 
aries of  the  Bible,"  "  Bible  Heroes  of  Temperance," 
"  Some  Noble  Lives  Spoiled  by  Intemperance," 
"Some  Magnificent  Missionaries  of  Our  Denomi- 
nation." 

3.  An  Historical  Lesson. — The  temperance  reform 
has  already  a  notable  history,  with  many  chapters 
worth  careful  study.  Spend  an  hour  with  the  Wo- 
man's Crusade, — its  origin,  its  leaders,  its  many  thrill- 
ing scenes,  its  notable  results.  The  Washingtonian 
movement,  the  blue-ribbon  movement,  the  World's 
1 06 


Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

Petition,  "temperance  in  the  White  House,"— these 
are  themes  for  other  studies. 

And  as  for  missions,  the  puzzle  will  be  to  know 
where  to  end,  when  there  are,  for  instance,  the  "  Se- 
rampore  Brotherhood  "  to  study,  the  "  Lone  Star  " 
mission,  the  Madagascar  martyrs,  the  China  Inland 
Mission,  the  all-but-miracle  of  Metlakahtla,  the  con- 
quest of  Hawaii,  the  transformation  of  Fiji,  the  bloody 
chronicles  of  Uganda.  With  any  one  of  these  stories 
for  a  nucleus,  your  missionary  lesson  will  be  certain 
of  leaving  a  deep  impression. 

4.  An  Organization  Lesson. — Study  one  or  more 
of  the  great  temperance  organizations, — its  origin, 
its  noble  leaders,  its  methods  and  aims,  its  practical 
results.  The  W.  C.  T.  U.  and  the  "  Y's,"  the  Good 
Templars,  the  National  Temperance  Society,  the 
temperance  work  of  Christian  Endeavor  societies, 
may  be  studied  in  this  way. 

This  plan  is  especially  valuable  for  the  missionary 
lessons,  which  should  render  your  scholars  familiar 
with  the  history  and  triumphs  of  each  missionary 
board  of  your  denomination,  home  and  foreign.  The 
remarkable  circumstances  of  its  founding,  the  heroic 
men  and  women  it  has  sent  forth  (exhibit  portraits), 
the  places  where  it  labors  (show  views),  the  periodicals 
it  publishes  (have  samples  to  give  away),  a  few  round 
figures  to  set  forth  the  results  of  it  all, — that  is  a  scanty 
outline.  The  larger  work  of  the  church  would  profit 
immensely  by  such  use  of  an  occasional  missionary 
lesson. 

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Sunday-School  Success 

5.  A  Newspaper  Lesson. — In  another  chapter  I 
discuss  the  use  that  may  wisely  be  made  of  the  news- 
paper in  our  Sunday-school  teaching.     Once  in  a 
while  the  specialty  of  a  lesson  may  be  a  study  of 
current  events  in  their  bearing  on  missions  or  on  the 
temperance  reform. 

Some  temperance  orator  has  made  a  noble  speech 
which  you  find  well  reported.  The  W.  C.  T.  U.  has 
just  held  its  annual  convention.  Neal  Dow's  birth- 
day has  been  widely  celebrated.  South  Carolina  has 
adopted  its  system  of  State  dispensaries.  A  hot 
campaign  for  prohibition  is  in  progress  in  Canada. 
The  teacher  that  centers  his  lesson  on  one  of  these 
themes  is  sure  of  lively  interest  which  may  be  led  to 
practical  result. 

Or,  if  it  is  missionary  Sunday,  let  the  teacher  utilize 
the  most  absorbing  topics  of  foreign  news.  It  may 
be  the  Spanish  seizure  of  the  Caroline  Islands,  the 
French  capture  of  Madagascar,  the  Japanese  cam- 
paign in  Formosa  or  that  of  the  English  in  Matabele- 
land  or  the  Soudan,  the  Italian  war  with  Abyssinia, 
the  Indian  famine,  the  troubles  in  Crete,  the  massacres 
in  Armenia.  What  scholar,  after  a  lesson  shrewdly 
introduced  by  such  recitals,  will  fail  to  see  that  mis- 
sions are  a  topic  very  much  alive? 

6.  A  Map  Lesson.  —  Few  things  condense,  com- 
bine, and  clarify  bits  of  information  like  a  map,  pro- 
vided you  can  put  your  information  upon  it.     A  map 
may  be  utilized  in  a  temperance  lesson  in  two  good 
ways.     If  you  are  in  a  city,  draw  the  streets  of  some 

108 


Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

section,  or  of  the  entire  city,  if  possible.  Send  your 
scholars  out  along  all  streets,  dividing  them  up,  and 
have  them  count  the  saloons  in  each  block,  locating 
also  the  churches  and  schoolhouses.  I  suppose,  of 
course,  that  your  scholars  are  of  suitable  age  for  this 
work.  Next  Sunday,  as  they  report,  put  a  black  spot 
on  the  map  for  every  saloon,  and  a  blue  spot  for 
every  church  and  schoolhouse.  Your  map  will  point 
its  own  moral. 

At  another  time  draw  a  map  of  the  United  States, 
and  give  a  graphic  view  of  the  temperance  laws  of 
the  land,  coloring  the  prohibition  States  one  color, 
using  a  different  color  to  designate  the  Massachusetts 
plan,  the  South  Carolina  plan,  and  so  on. 

More  can  be  done  with  a  map  in  a  missionary  lesson. 
For  instance,  you  may  select  a  single  country,  say 
India.  Provide  "  stickers  "  of  bright-colored  paper. 
Let  some  be  large  and  circular.  As  you  talk  about 
the  four  or  five  great  languages  of  that  many-tongued 
empire,  get  the  scholars  to  fasten  these  "  stickers  "  in 
the  centers  of  the  various  language  areas.  Let  other 
"  stickers  "  be  cut  into  small  stars.  Three  of  these, 
of  one  color,  fastened  in  the  neighborhoods  of  Bom- 
bay, Madura,  and  Ceylon,  will  represent  the  Congre- 
gational missions.  In  the  same  way  you  will  show 
the  location  of  the  Baptist,  Methodist,  and  Presby- 
terian missions  and  those  of  other  denominations. 
Population  "  stickers  "  may  also  be  used,  and  "  stick- 
ers "  with  the  names  of  great  missionaries  may  show 
where  they  labored. 

109 


Sunday-School  Success 

On  another  day  you  may  take  a  map  of  the  entire 
world,  and  thus  indicate  the  location  of  all  the  mission 
fields  of  your  denomination.  If  this  map  is  kept  be- 
fore the  class  from  that  time,  every  item  of  missionary 
information  will  have  fresh  interest  and  point. 

7.  A  Statistics  Lesson. — At  this  lesson  distribute, 
for  the  scholars,  to  read  aloud,  slips  of  paper  contain 
ing  temperance  or  missionary  statistics, — the  numbers 
of  saloons  or  missionaries,   of  drunkards  dying  or 
converts  made  each  day,  the  cost  of  missions  or  of 
strong  drink  compared  with  other  expenditures,  and 
the  like.     Get  the  class  to  cut  strips  of  paper  of  vari- 
ous lengths  to  represent  graphically  the  comparative 
costs.     Drill  the  scholars  in  temperance  or  missionary 
arithmetic.     Telling  them  the  number  of  heathen  in 
China,  ask  how  long  a  procession  they  would  make, 
marching  in  single  file  one  foot  apart.     Giving  them 
the  liquor  expenditure  for  a  year,  have  them  measure 
a  pile  of  silver  dollars  and  calculate  how  tall  a  pile 
would  equal  the  annual  cost  of  drink.     Such  books 
as  "  The  Missionary  Pastor,"  published  by  the  Flem- 
ing H.  Revell  Company,  and  "  Weapons  for  Temper- 
ance Warfare "  and  "  Fuel  for  Missionary   Fires," 
published  by  the  United  Society  of  Christian  En- 
deavor, will  suggest  many  similar  exercises. 

8.  A  Quotations  Lesson. — The  teacher  holds  in  his 
hand  a  bunch  of  papers,  on  each  of  which  is  written 
an  interesting  quotation  bearing  on  missions  or  tem- 
perance.   The  collection  will  include  longer  anecdotes 
as  well  as  brisk  sentences.     Many  will  bear  famous 

no 


Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

names.  Each  scholar  will  choose  a  quotation  at 
random  and  read  it  aloud.  The  teacher  will  draw 
out  its  meaning  by  questions,  will  add  illustrations 
and  practical  comments,  will  tell  something  about 
the  author  of  the  quotation,  or  will  show  the  connec- 
tion of  the  thought  or  anecdote  with  the  day's  lesson. 
In  some  classes  the  scholars  themselves  may  be  trusted 
to  bring  their  own  quotations  or  anecdotes. 

Let  me  mention  briefly  a  few  more  devices  out  of 
the  many  that  may  add  interest  to  these  lessons.  Get 
a  trained  worker  along  temperance  or  missionary 
lines  to  come  in  and  address  the  class.  Cany  out  a 
series  of  simple  experiments  showing  the  physiological 
effects  of  alcohol.  Make  a  study  of  the  best  mis- 
sionary hymns,  their  authors,  and  the  events  that 
prompted  them.  Try  a  fifteen-minute  debate  on  some 
missionary  or  temperance  topic.  Get  the  scholars 
now  and  then  to  write  five-minute  essays  or  give  five- 
minute  talks  on  appropriate  themes.  Let  one  edit  a 
temperance  or  missionary  paper,— in  manuscript,  of 
course,— collecting  contributions  from  each  scholar, 
and  reading  the  result  before  the  class  as  a  sample 
number  of  the  "  Cold  Water  Herald  "  or  the  "  Mis- 
sionary Monitor."  Some  Sunday,  call  on  every  mem- 
ber of  the  class  to  sign  the  pledge.  On  a  mission 
Sabbath  make  an  appeal  for  tithe-giving  and  present 
a  tithe-givers'  pledge.  Give  the  wonderful  history 
of  the  Student  Volunteer  movement,  and  urge  the 
scholars  to  consider  the  mission  field  as  a  possibility 
for  each  one  of  them.  Enliven  some  missionary  lesson 
in 


Sunday-School  Success 

with  entertaining  accounts  of  the  strange  customs  of 
the  country  under  discussion,  and  get  together  all  the 
illustrative  material  you  and  your  scholars  can  find. 
The  Sunday-school  and  the  Christian  Endeavor  so- 
ciety will  do  well  to  make  a  collection  of  curios  for 
such  purposes. 

It  is  an  admirable  plan  to  set  each  of  your  scholars 
to  doing  some  steady  work  in  preparation  for  these 
lessons.  One  may  watch  the  newspapers  and  collect 
temperance  facts  and  illustrations  of  the  evils  of 
strong  drink.  The  various  missionary  societies  of  the 
denomination  may  be  divided  among  the  scholars, 
each  to  gather  interesting  bits  concerning  the  work 
of  the  board  assigned  to  him.  In  the  same  way  the 
mission  lands  may  be  apportioned  out,  and  "the 
gentleman  from  India"  or  "our  representative  in 
China  "  be  called  upon  to  report  the  latest  news  from 
his  field.  In  this  plan  the  children  will  cooperate 
very  zealously. 

Of  course  it  goes  without  saying  (does  it,  though?) 
that  each  teacher  will  be  a  subscriber  to  the  mission- 
ary magazines  of  his  own  denomination,  as  well  as  to 
that  common  denominator  of  all  the  missionary  mag- 
azines, the  "  Missionary  Review  of  the  World." 

He  will  also  take,  if  possible,  a  good  temperance 
paper,  such  as  the  "  Union  Signal "  or  the  "  National 
Temperance  Advocate  " ;  and  if  he  can  afford  them, 
he  will  not  be  without  the  temperance  and  missionary 
encyclopedias. 

Indeed,  the  theme  branches  out  into  channels  so 
112 


Those  Temperance  and  Missionary  Lessons 

many  and  so  wide  that,  when  once  the  teacher  is 
started  upon  them,  his  greatest  lack  will  be  of  time 
for  exploration;  and  so  far  from  desiring  the  tem- 
perance and  missionary  lessons  fewer  than  eight,  he 
will  wish  it  were  possible  for  them  to  come  every 
month! 


Chapter  XVIII 
Topical  Lessons 

THE  Bible  is  so  full  of  suggestion  that  it  is  impos- 
sible, in  the  brief  Sunday-school  half-hour,  to  view 
the  many  fields  of  thought  opened  before  us  with  any 
degree  of  satisfying  completeness.  That  fact,  indeed, 
constitutes  one  of  the  greatest  satisfactions  of  the 
Book. 

Neither  teacher  nor  scholar  can  go  very  far  with 
earnestness  in  Bible  study  without  feeling  an  intense 
desire  to  collate  and  compare,  to  go  to  the  bottom, 
to  take  views  single  in  purpose,  but  wide  in  reach. 
This  wish  to  read  the  Scriptures  as  a  whole  has  ever 
been  held  a  sign  of  healthful  growth  in  Christian  en- 
deavor. How  may  we  encourage  and  satisfy  this 
desire?  Here  is  a  method  I  have  repeatedly  found 
helpful  to  my  class  and  myself. 

I  prepare  for  myself  what  I  call  topical  lessons.  I 
have  noticed  especial  interest  in  some  one  topic, — the 
use  of  Sunday,  say,  or  future  punishment,  heaven, 
prayer,  abuse  of  money,  missions,  the  nature  of  sin. 

114. 


Topical  Lessons 

On  some  Sunday,  then,  I  announce  that  one  of  these 
topics  is  to  be  discussed  at  next  week's  meeting.  I 
ask  the  scholars  to  think  the  matter  over,  and  look 
up  texts.  Some  do,  some  do  not,  as  is  usual  in  such 
matters.  Sunday  come,  I  have  in  large  script,  pinned 
to  the  wall  in  view  of  the  class,  an  outline  of  the 
topic  chosen,  with  the  texts  to  be  used  indicated  in 
clear  figures.  It  is  intended  for  a  lesson  in  methods 
of  Bible  study  as  much  as  in  Bible  contents,  and  so 
aims  to  be  complete  and  thorough  in  its  range.  The 
plan  is  explained,  and  the  scope  of  the  subject.  We 
take  it  up  by  natural  divisions. 

All  have  Bibles,  of  course.  The  references  are 
numbered.  "  Mr.  Brown,  please  find  No.  i  ;  Mr. 
Jones,  No.  2 ;  Mr.  Robinson,  No.  3,"  and  so  on. 
In  a  few  seconds  we  are  ready  for  a  discussion  of  the 
first  division.  I  shall  trust  to  the  scholars'  memory 
for  the  commoner  quotations,  and  not  trust  in  vain, 
if  I  have  done  my  duty  previously.  This  division 
disposed  of,  more  or  less  to  our  satisfaction,  we  pass 
to  another  point,  then  to  another,  rapidly  or  leisurely, 
as  the  time  permits,  being  careful  that  in  the  half -hour 
the  general  scope  of  Bible  thought  in  the  matter,  its 
largeness  and  depth,  its  insight  and  minuteness  of 
detail,  be  adequately  exhibited. 

May  I  show  you  a  sample  outline? 

FAITH. 

1.  What  is  it?   (Heb.  n  :  i ;  John  20:  29.) 

2.  Whence  comes  it? 

"5 


Sunday-School  Success 

(a)  From  God   (Rom.  12:3;    i  Cor.  2:4,  5 ; 

12:4,  8,  9;  i  Pet.  1:4,  5). 

(b)  From  Christ  (Heb.  12:2). 

(c)  From  the  Bible  (John  17:  20 ;  20:31;  Rom. 

15:4;  2  Tim.  3:  15). 

(d)  From  preaching  (Rom.  10 :  14 ;  i  Cor.  3 :  5). 

(e)  But  all  one  (Eph.  4 :  5  ;  4 :  13 ;  Jude  3). 
(/)  Not  from  works  (Eph.  2 :  8,  9 ;  Rom.  3 : 

27,  28;  Gal.  3:  u,  12;  2:  16). 
What  does  it  do? 

(1)  The  works  of  faith: 

(a)  It  is  a  work  (John  6 :  28,  29 ;  Rom.  4 :  5). 

(b)  Which  draws  us  to   God  (Rom.  5:1,  2; 

Eph.  3:  12;  3:  17;  Jas.  i :  5,  6). 

(c)  Thus  pleasing  him  (Heb.  n  :  6). 

(d)  Which  frees  us  from  sin  (2  Pet.  1:5;  Acts 

13  :  38,  39  :  Rom-  3 :  2I»  z6  ',  Acts  *5  :  9)- 

(e)  Leads  us  into  salvation  (Mark  16 :  16  ;  John 

i:  12,  13). 

(/)  Conquers  this  world  (i  John  5:4,  5). 
(g)  Gives  us  peace  therein  (Eph.  6:  16;  Rom. 

5:0- 

(h)  And  finally  eternal  life  (Rom.  1:17;  John 
3:  16;  3:36). 

(2)  The  works  from  faith : 

(a)  Faith  alone  is  dead  (Eph.  2:  10;  Jas.  2: 

14-26). 

(b)  Faith  a  beginning  (Jude  20 ;  Col.  2:6,  7). 

(c)  Of  wondrous  power  (Mark  9:  23;  n  :  22- 

24;  Luke  17:  5,  6). 
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Topical  Lessons 

(d)  Working  out  through  love  (i  Thess.  5:8; 

i  Cor.  13:2;  13:13;  Gal.  5:651  John 

3 :  23)- 

(e)  In  miracle  (Matt.  9:  22;   9:  29;  Luke  8: 

50 ;  Acts  3 :  16). 

(/)  In  history  (Heb.  1 1 :  32-34 ;  Matt.  16 :  16 ; 
John  i :  49 ;  1 1 :  25,  27  ;  Acts  6:5;  8 : 
37;  ii :  24). 

4.  Have  I  it? 

(a)  There  is  false  faith  (i  Tim.  1:5). 

(b)  The  testing  (2  Cor.  13:5;  Jas.  i :  3 ;  i  Pet. 

i :  6,  7). 

(f)  The  seeking  (Phil.  1:27;  Jude  3). 

(d)  The  keeping  (i  Cor.  16 :  13 ;  Heb.  10 :  38 ; 
Col.  1:23;  i  Tim.  i :  18,  19;  6:12; 
i  Pet.  5:8,  9). 

5.  Now  and  hereafter  (2  Cor.  5:7;!  Cor.  13:  12). 

Manifestly,  when  this  plan  is  carried  out,  there  will 
be  scant  time  for  the  regular  lesson;  probably  no 
time  at  all.  The  next  Sunday  two  lessons  must  be 
recited.  But  your  topical  study  has  grown  out  of 
the  regular  lessons,  and  in  its  turn  will  excite  in  them 
fresh  interest. 

It  is  obvious  that  each  teacher  must  choose  his 
own  topics  and  make  his  own  outlines,  suited  to  his 
own  methods  of  thought,  and  to  the  age  and  intelli- 
gence of  his  class.  The  above  was  used  in  a  class 
of  young  men,  college  students  in  part.  Themes  of 
an  entirely  different  nature  might  well  be  chosen, — a 
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Sunday-School  Success 

view  of  Christ's  miracles  or  parables  or  sermons,  of 
Old  Testament  miracles,  or  of  sacred  history  in  some 
one  line.  It  might  even  be  found  profitable,  as  it 
surely  would  be  interesting,  to  collate,  arrange,  and 
discuss  Scripture  references  to  the  eye,  the  ear,  birds, 
flowers,  trumpets.  To  my  mind,  some  such  occa- 
sional excursion  as  this  seems  to  lead  the  scholars, 
especially  those  approaching  manhood  and  woman- 
hood, to  a  more  comprehensive  and  methodical  know- 
ledge of  the  riches  of  the  best  Book,  and  to  one  of 
the  most  resultful  methods  of  studying  it. 


118 


Chapter  XIX 

Introducing  Thoughts 

A  LITTLE  child  once  declared  that  she  liked  a  cer- 
tain sermon  because  there  were  so  many  "  likes  "  in 
it.  For  the  same  reason,  that  same  child  would  have 
liked  Christ  as  a  Sunday-school  teacher.  And  we 
teachers  will  gain  Christ's  success  in  the  same  measure 
as  we  gain  his  power  of  putting  the  whole  universe 
back  of  our  thought. 

For  a  thought  comes  forcibly  from  our  minds  in 
proportion  as  we  see  its  relatedness.  If  we  have  put 
it  into  connection  with  a  score  of  things,  that  score 
get  behind  it  and  push.  An  unrelated  thought  comes 
as  tamely  from  the  mind  as  a  Jack  from  its  box  when 
the  spring  is  broken.  And  so  when  a  Sunday-school 
teacher  would  present  a  truth  energetically,  he  must 
look  all  around  the  truth,  crowd  his  mind  with  ap- 
plications of  the  truth,  fall  in  love  with  its  beauty 
from  many  points  of  view ;  in  brief,  become  thor- 
oughly acquainted  with  the  truth,  and  its  enthusi- 
astic friend. 

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Sunday-School  Success 

How,  now,  shall  we  introduce  the  truth  to  the 
child?  It  is  the  manner  of  some  to  take  the  truth 
and  the  child,  and  bump  heads  together,— a  process 
which  very  naturally  develops  a  mutual  shyness. 

The  true  teacher,  on  the  contrary,  is  a  skilled  master 
of  ceremonies.  From  the  crowd  of  likenesses,  illus- 
trations, and  applications  which  have  made  him  and 
the  truth  acquainted,  he  chooses  one  to  go  with  it  and 
act  as  mutual  friend,  to  introduce  the  stranger  thought 
to  the  child's  mind,  and  put  the  two  on  easy  terms 
together. 

He  does  not  make  the  common  mistake  of  send- 
ing along  the  entire  crowd,  so  that  the  introduced  is 
lost  in  the  throng  of  masters  of  ceremonies,  so  that 
the  truth  is  confused,  and  acquaintanceship  embar- 
rassed by  the  parade  of  illustration.  He  knows  that 
where  one  parable  makes,  two  mar,  and  three  ruin. 

Nor  will  the  shrewd  teacher  ever  attempt  intro- 
duction by  something  other  than  a  mutual  friend  of 
both  parties, — the  truth  and  the  child's  mind.  The 
myth  of  Alcestis  may  be  connected  with  your  own 
thought  of  the  resurrection,  but  it  is  itself  a  stranger 
to  the  child's  mind.  The  true  mutual  friend  would 
be  the  metamorphosis  of  the  butterfly. 

Is  that  comparison  stale?  In  seeking  for  fresh 
and  brilliant  illustrations,  we  are  apt  to  forget  that 
the  longer  the  mutual  friend  has  known  both  parties, 
the  more  apt  will  he  be  at  furthering  their  acquain- 
tance. The  butterfly  is  truly  to  us  a  trite  illustration 
of  the  resurrection,  but  not  to  the  child. 
1 20 


Introducing  Thoughts 

Do  not  push  forward  the  thought  first,  and  after  a 
ten  minutes'  awkward,  floundering  parley  between  it 
and  the  child's  mind,  proceed  to  introduce  them  by 
your  illustration.  After  two  people  have  talked  to- 
gether for  ten  minutes,  they  either  need  no  introduc- 
tion by  that  time,  or  have  destroyed  the  possibility 
of  acquaintanceship.  Illustration  first. 

And  after  the  introduction  two  mistakes  may  be 
made.  The  introducing  illustration  may  keep  on 
chattering,  not  allowing  the  truth  and  the  mind  of  the 
child  to  say  a  word  to  each  other.  A  master  of  cere- 
monies, who  knows  his  business,  knows  when  to  draw 
quietly  back,  and  leave  the  new  acquaintanceship 
room  to  grow.  The  illustration  is  not  the  end,  but 
the  means. 

The  other  mistake  is  in  allowing  the  mutual  friend 
to  withdraw  abruptly,  before  the  two,  the  stranger 
thought  and  the  child's  mind,  have  broken  the  ice. 
Let  him  stay  and  put  in  a  clever  word  now  and  then, 
until  the  acquaintanceship  can  stand  by  itself. 

Nor  is  there  any  reason  why,  with  every  fresh  truth, 
a  fresh  illustration  should  strut  forward.  Those  so- 
cial assemblies  are  best  managed  which  are  planned 
by  one  wise  woman,  and  permeated  throughout  by 
her  thoughtfulness,  words  of  tact,  and  shrewd  bits  of 
engineering.  One  mistress  to  a  party,  as  one  cook 
to  the  broth.  And  so  if  you  can  find  one  illustration 
which  is  on  good  terms  with  all  the  truths  in  the  lesson, 
and  familiar  also  to  the  child's  mind,  by  all  means 
let  that  one  illustration  hold  sway,  as  a  genial  host, 

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Sunday-School  Success 

throughout  the  entire  half-hour,  and  associate  the 
whole  together. 

But  when  the  illustration  ceases  to  illustrate,  part 
with  it,  regretfully  but  promptly ;  as  I,  following  my 
own  advice,  must  here  part  with  the  illustration  which 
has  done  duty  hitherto. 

In  this  whole  matter,  as  in  all  others,  only  pains- 
taking deserves  or  gains  success.  A  genius  for  par- 
able is  rare.  Gift  here  means  the  poet's  power,  his 
breadth  of  vision,  his  depth  of  sympathy,  his  tact  and 
sense  of  fitness.  But  though  it  is  a  poet's  gift,  it  need 
not  be  born  in  one.  How  may  we  gain  skill  in 
illustration? 

In  the  first  place,  by  gaining  knowledge.  How 
can  we  expect  Jewish  history  to  seem  real,  isolated, 
as  it  so  often  is,  from  all  other  history?  We,  too, 
have  a  Father  Abraham.  Caesar  crossed  a  river  once, 
as,  and  yet  not  as,  did  Joshua.  Compare  Washing- 
ton's farewell  address  with  Samuel's.  And,  too,  with- 
out science,  such  sciences  as  geology  and  astronomy, 
a  Sunday-school  teacher  is  but  half  armed.  How 
wonderfully  and  inspiringly  God's  two  books  supple- 
ment each  other,  no  one  can  guess  who  has  not  put 
the  two  together.  In  brief,  for  the  theme  is  infinite, 
almost  any  fact,  once  learned,  has  constant  surprises 
of  usefulness,  and  in  no  ways  more  frequently  than 
this  of  illustration. 

In  the  next  place,  by  gaining  sympathy.  No  one 
can  well  use  illustrations  who  is  out  of  touch  with  his 
fellows.  The  best  possible  illumination  of  life  ques- 
122 


Introducing  Thoughts 

tions  is  the  story  of  the  lives  around  you, — their  trials 
and  triumphs.  Do  you  know  a  child  who  has  done 
a  heroic  deed,  though  quietly,  for  the  Master?  Have 
you  a  friend  who  has  conquered  some  sore  tempta- 
tion? Have  you  met  a  good  man  struggling  against 
some  inherited  evil  tendency?  Have  you  knowledge 
of  the  disastrous  results  of  some  single  life?  Life 
comes  closest  to  life,  and  experience  furnishes  the 
best  similes. 

And  then  we  may  study  books,  and  learn  how 
effective  writers  have  used  illustrations.  A  note-book 
collection  of  these  will  be  helpful,  even  though  the 
making  of  it  is  the  end  of  it ;  for  this  study  will  help 
us  toward  the  teacher's  chief  goal, — the  power  of 
putting  things  in  the  best  way. 

The  newspapers  should  be  one  of  the  most  fruitful 
fields  for  the  gleaning  of  illustrations;  and  so  they 
will  be,  when  they  learn  to  chronicle  the  good  as  thor- 
oughly and  brilliantly  as  they  now  chronicle  the  bad. 

Of  course, — though  an  "of  course"  seldom  prac- 
tically accepted, — a  Bible  character  is  the  very  best 
illustration  of  a  Bible  character,  the  Old  Testament 
of  the  New,  the  last  lesson  of  this,  Moses  of  Paul, 
and  Sinai  of  Hermon. 

And  of  course,  too, — though  again  a  belied  "of 
course," — the  less  the  illustration  given  by  the  teacher, 
and  the  more  given  by  the  scholar  in  answer  to  ques- 
tions, the  more  vivid  the  impression.  Too  often  we 
teachers  smack  our  lips  at  the  coming  of  the  similes, 
and  launch  out  into  harangue. 
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Sunday-School  Success 

Let  us  see  in  all  this  much  more  than  a  scheme  of 
indirections.  It  is  no  easy  task  to  find  the  best  way 
into  a  child's  mind,  nor  quite  without  pains  and  diffi- 
culty is  the  imitation  of  the  Teacher  who  spoke  many 
things  in  parables. 


Chapter  XX 
Illustrations  and  Applications 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  teachers  often  make  the  mistake 
of  confounding  "  lesson  illustrations  "  with  "  practical 
applications."  A  lesson  illustration  is  a  picture  of 
the  truth  you  are  studying  as  exemplified  in  spheres 
of  life  foreign  to  your  scholars ;  practical  application 
pictures  the  truth  in  their  own  lives.  In  other  words, 
a  practical  application  is  an  illustration  that  the 
scholars  can  practice.  The  point  I  want  to  make  is, 
that  the  practical  application  should  be  used,  in  our 
own  precious  half-hour,  not  to  the  exclusion  of  the 
lesson  illustration,  but  largely  predominating  over  it. 

For  instance,  if  you  were  discussing  the  great  cloud 
of  invisible  witnesses  that  compass  us  about,  you 
might  illustrate  the  truth  by  the  famous  story  of  Na- 
poleon's speech  to  the  troops  in  Egypt,  "  From  yon- 
der pyramids,  my  men,  forty  centuries  look  down 
upon  us  " ;  but,  if  you  have  not  time  for  both,  a  prac- 
tical application  would  be  far  better :  "  John,  who  is 
one  of  this  great  cloud  of  witnesses  that  is  most  ten- 


Sunday-School  Success 

derly  and  anxiously  watching  your  life?"  "My 
father."  "  And  who,  Harry,  is  among  your  invisible 
guardians?  "  "  My  mother."  That  is  more  forcible 
than  "  forty  centuries." 

Again,  one  of  the  finest  illustrations  of  devotion  to 
principle  is  afforded  by  the  conversion  to  the  Baptist 
faith  of  one  of  our  first  American  foreign  missionaries, 
the  immortal  Judson,  who,  at  the  bidding  of  con- 
science and  conviction,  cast  loose  in  mid-ocean  from 
the  only  missionary  society  in  America,  and  his  only 
assured  support.  That  is  magnificent,  but  it  is  only 
an  illustration,  one  needing  to  be  translated  into  terms 
of  child  life  thus :  "  Suppose  you  are  in  a  school  ex- 
amination, and  your  neighbor  on  one  side  hands  you 
a  bit  of  folded  paper  to  pass  to  your  neighbor  on  the 
other  side,  and  you  are  pretty  sure  it  is  to  help  him 
cheat  in  the  examination,  and  suppose  the  whole 
school  will  think  you  mean  and  stuck  up  if  you  refuse 
to  pass  the  paper,  what  are  you  going  to  do?  "  That 
is  a  test  of  devotion  to  principle  such  as  the  child  is 
likely  to  meet. 

To  be  sure,  there  are  illustrations  which  come  so 
close  to  average  circumstances  that  they  are  also  ap- 
plications. For  instance,  to  take  another  great  mis- 
sionary, William  Carey,  his  boyish  fall  from  the  tree 
he  was  climbing,  with  the  result  of  breaking  his  leg, 
and,  on  recovery,  his  immediate  set-to  at  the  same 
tree  again ;  his  saying  that  his  business  was  preaching 
the  gospel,  but  that  he  cobbled  shoes  "to  pay  ex- 
penses " ;  his  bidding  the  Christians  left  at  home  to 
126 


Illustrations  and  Applications 

"hold  the  ropes  while  he  went  down," — all  these  are 
very  practical  illustrations,  quite  within  the  children's 
sphere,  since  it  is  well  for  them  also  to  have  grit  even 
about  tree-climbing,  since  they  are  to  hold  their  or- 
dinary duties  subordinate  to  their  spiritual  life,  and 
since  they  have  missionary  money  to  spend  and  mis- 
sionary prayers  to  make.  If,  however,  I  were  teaching 
the  passage  in  the  Acts  that  relates  how  the  disciples 
had  all  things  in  common,  though  I  might  tell  about 
the  splendid  carrying  out  of  that  principle  in  Carey's 
Serampore  brotherhood,  yet,  if  I  had  time  for  only 
the  one,  I  should  certainly  prefer  a  practical  applica- 
tion of  the  text  to  the  sharing  of  apples  and  the 
lending  of  bicycles. 

It  is  helpful  to  a  boy,  of  course,  if  he  would  culti- 
vate patience,  to  have  before  his  eyes  the  picture  of 
that  cave  looking  out  over  Scottish  hills  and  heather, 
and  of  the  spider  at  the  cave's  mouth  teaching  its 
beautiful  lesson  to  the  Bruce  within ;  but  the  picture 
remains  only  a  picture  unless  the  spider  of  the  boy's 
imagination  is  taught  to  run  lines  connecting  every 
point  of  the  picture  with  his  geography  lesson  and 
his  garden  weeding.  Far  too  many  war  stories  are 
told  in  our  Sunday-schools.  They  do  not  build  up 
very  rapidly  the  Christian  soldier.  Far  too  many 
illustrations  are  drawn  from  what  is  wrongly  called 
the  distinctive  "  heroic  age  "  of  the  world.  Not  thus 
is  the  Christian  hero  furnished  for  his  nineteenth- 
century  toils. 

A  similar  remark  is  to  be  made  regarding  illustra- 
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Sunday-School  Success 

tions  from  science.  They  must  not  be  permitted  to 
detract  from  or  exclude  the  practical  application.  If 
we  are  teaching  our  boys  and  girls  how  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  those  that  love  God,  we 
may  use  the  illustration  of  the  rainbow,  explaining 
that  it  is  on  the  very  raindrops  of  the  storm  itself 
that  God  paints  his  wonderful  symbol  of  hope  and 
trust.  That  is  poetical  and  true,  but  the  lesson  re- 
mains as  misty  as  the  rainbow  itself  unless  you  go  on 
to  show  your  scholars  how  the  lame  boy  among  them 
gets  more  time  for  study  on  account  of  his  lameness, 
how  the  boy  who  has  been  sick  has  learned  far  more 
than  he  knew  before  about  the  love  of  his  dear  ones 
and  about  the  great  Physician,  how  the  boy  who  has 
had  to  leave  school  and  go  to  work  is  none  the  less 
getting  a  priceless  schooling  in  patience  and  deter- 
mination and  energy  and  faithfulness. 

Many  of  these  practical  illustrations  you  may 
by  questions  draw  out  from  the  boys  themselves. 
"  Blessed  are  the  peacemakers."  Call  for  stories  of 
boyish  quarrels  settled  by  some  boy  Solon.  That  is 
better  than  telling  about  the  Massachusetts  boards 
of  arbitration  in  strikes.  "  My  cup  runneth  over." 
Draw  out  a  list  of  their  own  boyish  blessings,  which 
are  more  to  them  than  those  of  any  saint  or  psalmist. 

But  especially  this  practical  application,  to  be  suc- 
cessful, must  be  the  work  of  a  consecrated  imagina- 
tion. A  Sunday-school  teacher  must  think  himself 
into  the  lives  of  others.  "  Bear  ye  one  another's  bur- 
dens." Now  don't  rake  up  from  your  encyclopedias 
128 


Illustrations  and  Applications 

the  story  of  St.  Christopher,  beautiful  as  it  is,  and  try 
to  twist  it  into  an  illustration  of  the  text.  No.  Ask 
the  bright  scholar  what  he  does  to  help  his  duller 
friends  understand  the  knotty  problems  at  school. 
Ask  the  merry  boys  what  they  do  when  mother  is 
tired  amusing  the  baby.  Ask  the  selfish  boy  what  a 
lad  that  greatly  wanted  a  new  sled  could  do  to  help 
his  father  bear  his  burden  of  poverty. 

To  get  these  applications  you  have  had  to  "put 
yourself  in  his  place,"  to  picture  to  your  mind  your 
scholars'  joys  and  sorrows,  desires  and  disappoint- 
ments, hopes  and  fears,  labor  and  play.  And  in  the 
process,  and  as  its  result,  have  come  two  rewards 
that  no  thumbing  of  dictionaries  of  biography,  and 
manuals  of  mythology,  and  encyclopedias  of  illustra- 
tions, could  ever  give.  You  have  come  closer  to  the 
lives  of  your  scholars,  and  you  have  drawn  those 
lives  closer  to  the  present,  practical  Christ. 


129 


Chapter  XXI 
Righteous  Padding 

IT  is  marvelous  how  rich  in  suggestion  all  passages 
of  the  Bible  are  to  the  thoughtful,  studious  mind.  It 
is  no  less  marvelous  how  bare  and  barren  the  wealth- 
iest portions  become  when  filtered  through  a  bare 
and  barren  mind. 

Truth  is  valuable  only  as  it  is  extended  into  life. 
"  Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart,  for  they  shall  see 
God " ;  that  means  to  the  child  very  little,  packed 
into  this  condensed  form.  But  let  the  teacher  set 
about  extending  that  blessed  truth.  Let  him  picture 
a  man,  cross,  ugly,  besotted,  selfish,  greedy,  his  heart 
all  rotten  with  passion  and  pride.  Go  through  a  day 
with  him,  from  the  sullen  greetings  in  the  morning 
and  his  breakfast-table  quarrels,  through  his  business 
hours  all  stern  and  crabbed,  to  his  morose  and  un- 
lovely evening.  Ask  the  children  how  much  he  sees 
and  enjoys  of  the  beautiful  world,  how  much  he  gets 
from  noble  books,  what  perception  he  has  of  the 
character  of  his  charming  wife  and  children.  He  is 
130 


Righteous  Padding 

blind  to  all  these  things.  Why?  Because  of  his 
impure  heart. 

Show  how  this  baseness  follows  him  to  church, 
holds  him  down  from  praying,  weights  his  songs,  dulls 
his  vision  of  spiritual  things.  Ask  them  how  it  will 
be  at  death,  when  he  goes  out  of  this  world  with  a 
soul  taught  to  see  only  money  and  self.  How  can 
he  see  God? 

Then  go  on  to  tell  them  of  their  loving,  gentle- 
hearted  mothers,  and  how  much  good  they  can  see  in 
this  world,  in  their  friends,  in  their  children,  because 
their  hearts  are  unselfish  and  pure.  How  easily  they 
pray.  How  cheerily  they  sing.  How  near  God  is 
to  them.  Will  there  be  any  difficulty  in  their  seeing 
God  in  the  next  world,  when  they  can  see  so  much 
of  him  in  this? 

You  have  made  quite  a  sermon  out  of  that  text. 
It  has  been  extended  largely,  and  yet  the  meaning 
of  it  has  merely  begun  to  dawn  on  those  childish 
minds. 

Suppose  you  had  taught  it  in  this  way:  "Verse 
eight.  Read  it,  Tommy.  Now,  who  are  blessed, 
Mary?  And  why  are  they  blessed,  Willie?  Now 
don't  forget  that,  children.  Pay  attention.  Always 
remember  it.  The  pure  in  heart  see  God.  Why 
should  we  be  pure  in  heart,  Lucy?  And  how  can  we 
see  God,  Susy?  Now  don't  forget  it,  children.  Pay 
attention.  Always  remember  it.  The  pure  in  heart 
see  God.  What  have  we  learned  in  this  verse,  Lizzie  ? 
Yes,  that's  right.  You  all  want  to  be  pure  in  heart, 


Sunday-School  Success 

children,  now  don't  you?  Why?  Yes,  that's  right. 
I  see  you  have  paid  attention."  But  they  haven't, 
as  any  such  teacher  may  find  out  by  a  question  next 
Sunday. 

A  teacher  of  children  must  learn  the  art  of  righteous 
padding.  He  must  learn  how  to  fill  in  outlines,  how 
to  expand  texts.  He  must  illustrate  with  imagery, 
parable,  allegory,  personal  experience,  use  of  material 
objects,  pictures,  action  of  the  children. 

Especially  valuable  is  the  last,  when  it  can  be  used. 
The  teacher's  cry  for  attention  might  well  be  trans- 
lated into  the  highwayman's,  "  Hold  up  your  hands." 
At  any  rate,  if  you  can  manage  to  keep  them  busy 
with  their  hands,  you  have  their  eyes,  tongues,  and 
brains. 

Set  them  to  hunting  up  verses  in  their  Bibles.  You 
will  have  the  experience  of  a  friend  of  mine  who 
came  to  me  once  after  trying  it,  and  despairingly  said 
that  the  children  now  wanted  to  do  nothing  else. 
Nearly  every  verse  can  be  illustrated  by  a  stanza 
from  some  common  song.  Get  the  children  to  sing 
it  softly,  first  making  them  see  how  the  song  fits  the 
Bible.  Make  liberal  use  of  concert  repetition  of 
Bible  verses.  There  is  nothing  better  than  this  good 
old  device  for  unifying  and  freshening  the  attention 
of  a  class. 

And  pictures.  Teachers  do  not  yet  know  one- 
tenth  of  the  teaching  power  of  pictures.  Take  the 
Twenty-third  Psalm  for  a  familiar  example.  "  The 
shepherd,  want,  green  pastures,  lie  down,  leadeth  me, 
13* 


Righteous  Padding 

still  waters,  the  paths  of  righteousness,  the  valley  of 
the  shadow,  thy  rod  and  staff,  a  table  prepared,  mine 
enemies,  anointing,  cup  runneth  over,  the  house  of 
the  Lord"— as  you  read  that  list  did  not  fourteen 
pictures  rise  at  once  in  your  mind?  Find  them,  and 
show  them  to  the  children.  They  will  pay  even  better 
attention  to  your  printed  pictures  than  to  your  word- 
pictures. 

Experience  will  soon  teach  the  teacher,  if  his  eyes 
are  open,  the  need  of  copious  illustration.  Astrono- 
mers tell  us  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  see  the  smallest 
objects  visible  to  us  in  the  sky,  if  they  are  in  the  form 
of  little  dots.  They  may  have  dimensions  very  much 
smaller  and  still  be  visible  easily,  if  they  are  ex- 
tended into  lines  of  light.  So  with  the  points  of  our 
lessons.  They  will  miss  attention  entirely  or  gain  it 
with  difficulty,  while  they  remain  merely  points.  We 
must  extend  them,  by  the  use  of  consecrated  wits. 


Chapter  XXII 
The  Sunday-School  and  the  Newspaper 

ON  several  pages  of  this  book  I  have  hinted  at  the 
use  of  the  newspaper  in  our  teaching ;  but  the  theme 
deserves  a  chapter  to  itself.  An  up-to-date  teacher 
is  respected,  and  it  is  largely  the  newspaper  that  brings 
one  up  to  date.  We  must  put  our  lessons  into  touch 
with  life,  and  the  newspaper  is  our  modern  compen- 
dium of  life — very  faulty,  but  all  we  have.  The  best 
illustration  of  the  lesson  is  one  your  scholars  find ;  the 
next  best,  one  you  find  yourself ;  and  only  the  third 
best,  one  found  for  you  by  the  skilful  writers  of  your 
lesson  helps.  The  newspapers  are  mines  of  original 
illustrations. 

They  constitute,  for  example,  a  magazine  of  warn- 
ings. Hardly  a  number  but  tells  of  a  defalcation 
sprung  from  gambling,  of  the  ruin  accomplished  by 
the  theater  and  dance-hall,  of  the  mischief  caused  by 
sensational  literature,  and  everywhere  and  always  of 
the  rum-fiend's  devilish  work.  Why  Saul  fell,  and 
David,  and  Solomon, — your  scholars  must  know  that ; 
'34 


The  Sunday-School  and  the  Newspaper 

but  their  sense  of  the  reality  of  sin  and  its  fearful 
power  will  be  deepened  by  noting  the  fall  of  men  and 
women  in  this  present  world,  and  learning  what 
brought  shipwreck  to  their  souls.  A  misplaced  switch 
last  week  threw  a  train  from  the  track  and  killed  a 
man.  What  a  warning  against  carelessness!  Early 
Wednesday  morning  a  drunken  woman  was  found 
asleep  on  an  ash-pile,  her  little  girl  sobbing  by  her 
side.  What  a  lesson  on  the  evil  wrought  by  rum! 
Of  all  the  sins  and  faults  against  which  the  Bible 
utters  its  great  warnings,  there  is  none  we  may  nqt 
illustrate  freshly  and  vividly  from  the  newspaper. 

But  that  is  only  half,  and  the  lower  half.  By 
sharp  search  we  may  find  in  our  papers  many  a  thrill- 
ing example  of  heroism  and  noble  service.  Would 
that  our  reporters  more  frequently  chronicled  the 
good !  Yet  here  is  a  fire  at  which  a  fireman  risked 
his  life  to  save  a  little  child.  And  here  is  a  cashier 
that  braved  death  rather  than  open  the  safe  for  the 
robbers.  And  here  is  a  lad  whose  shoulder  was  dis- 
located by  stopping  a  runaway  horse.  And  here  is 
a  heroic  rescue  of  men  and  women  from  a  shipwreck. 
We  do  not  get  from  the  newspaper  the  daily  acts  of 
devotion  and  faithfulness  so  honored  in  the  eye  of 
heaven ;  but  we  do  get  the  splendid  deeds,  the  stir- 
ring, romantic  victories,  that  will  move  the  girls  and 
boys  to  knightly  action. 

Newspapers,  too,  give  an  outlook  over  the  world. 
The  confining  walls  melt  away,  and  your  lesson  takes 
wide  sweeps  under  a  broad  sky.  Every  session  of 
135 


Sunday-School  Success 

Congress  considers  many  matters  of  the  highest  im- 
port for  the  kingdom  of  God.  Our  great  offices  are 
filled  with  men  of  strong  character,  acting  out  upon 
a  grand  scale  lives  potent  for  good  or  evil.  In  the 
lands  across  the  seas  great  events  are  occurring,  each 
exhibiting  some  phase  of  godliness  or  sin.  You  will 
exalt  the  gospel  mightily  in  the  minds  of  your  schol- 
ars if  you  can  show  them  how  its  principles  solve  the 
problems  of  our  government,  and  underlie  all  wise 
action  of  the  nations  of  the  world. 

It  has  already  been  indicated  how  the  temperance 
lesson,  that  quarterly  bugbear  of  some  teachers,  may 
be  illuminated  by  the  newspaper.  Thus  also  may  the 
missionary  lesson.  So  profoundly  do  missions  affect 
any  nation  they  touch,  and  so  closely  are  they  inter- 
woven  with  its  life,  that  whatever  of  importance  be- 
falls any  people  has  its  missionary  bearings.  The 
Sultan  cannot  massacre  the  Armenians,  or  France 
seize  Madagascar,  or  Japan  fight  China,  or  Hawaii 
depose  its  queen,  or  a  revolution  occur  in  South 
America,  without  entanglement  with  the  omnipresent 
missionaries  of  the  cross.  To  make  the  scholars  feel 
this  through  wise  references  to  current  events  is  im- 
mensely to  broaden  their  conception  of  the  church 
and  its  work. 

Even  beyond  all  this,  our  newspapers  afford  the 
teacher  a  vast  supply  of  illustrative  material.  There 
are  the  carefully  prepared  biographies  of  the  great 
men  and  women  that  pass  away,  printed  with  their 
portraits.  There  are  sketches  of  the  lives  of  living 
136 


The  Sunday-School  and  the  Newspaper 

celebrities,  with  pictures  of  their  faces  and  their  homes. 
There  are  lectures  and  sermons,  sometimes  admirably 
reported,  giving  in  a  few  bright  paragraphs  the  gist 
of  an  hour's  discourse.  There  are  thousands  of  poems 
by  the  best  modern  authors.  There  are  appropriate 
editorial  comments  on  all  the  holidays,  Christmas  and 
New  Year's,  Easter  and  Memorial  Day,  Thanksgiv- 
ing and  the  Fourth  of  July.  There  are  accounts  of 
the  latest  wonderful  inventions,  each  a  pointed  para- 
ble to  one  with  eyes  and  a  brain.  And,  with  all  its 
pictorial  enormities,  the  newspaper  often  contains  a 
portrait  or  a  sketch  worth  using  in  our  lesson  half-hour. 

In  all  this  I  am  taking  for  granted,  of  course,  that 
you  subscribe  to  no  sensational  abomination,  but  to 
the  best  of  our  standard  sheets,  even  if  you  must  get 
it  from  some  other  city  than  your  own.  It  must  be 
a  paper  so  clean  that  you  can  occasionally  hand  a 
copy  to  your  scholars,  and  fearlessly  set  them  to 
"  reading  up  "  on  some  theme  helpful  to  the  lesson. 
Besides,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  our  best  reli- 
gious weeklies  are  now  genuine  newspapers  as  well, 
and  furnish  admirable  comments  upon  all  important 
current  events. 

To  use  the  newspaper  to  the  best  advantage  in 
your  teaching,  you  must  have  well  in  mind  all  the 
lesson  themes  for  months  in  advance,  since  a  striking 
event  of  to-day  might  not  illustrate  this  week's  les- 
son, but  the  lesson  of  five  weeks  ahead.  Your  best 
plan  is  to  cut  out  each  day  the  paragraphs  and  arti- 
cles that  seem  likely  to  be  of  use,  and  preserve  them 


Sunday-School  Success 

in  a  series  of  envelopes.  Mark  one  set  of  envelopes 
with  the  topics  and  dates  of  a  year's  lessons.  Let 
another  set  contain  the  clippings  arranged  by  subjects, 
as:  "Love,"  "Faith,"  "Temperance,"  "Missions," 
"  Theater,"  "  Heroism,"  "  Inventions."  These  will 
contain  poems  as  well  as  prose.  Some,  rather  than 
classify  the  bits  of  biography  under  the  characteristics 
especially  prominent  in  each  case,  will  prefer  to  ar- 
range them  alphabetically,  in  a  separate  set  of  twenty- 
six  envelopes.  As  the  envelope  for  each  week's  lesson 
is  used,  distribute  its  contents  through  your  per- 
manent file.  Frequently  glance  over  your  clippings 
to  refresh  your  memory  concerning  them ;  otherwise 
they  will  become  so  much  dead  wood. 

Not  an  unimportant  result  of  all  this  is  that  it  will 
teach  your  scholars  to  read  the  newspaper  as  a  Chris- 
tian should.  In  this  great  American  university  our 
scholars  should  be  taught  to  skip  the  courses  in  evil 
and  elect  those  in  goodness. 

And  a  final  word, — which,  indeed,  no  teacher  is 
likely  to  need,  though  it  must  be  said :  keep  the  whole 
matter  subordinate.  It  is  not  proposed  to  turn  our 
Sunday-schools  into  classes  for  the  study  of  current 
events.  We  have  to  do  with  one  Life,  and  with  that 
alone.  We  are  teaching  not  all  kinds  of  truth,  but 
him  who  is  the  Truth.  Whatever  we  admit  into  our 
teaching  that  does  not  exalt  him  and  throw  light  on 
his  life  and  doctrine  is  a  harmful  impertinence.  We 
are  not  to  study  the  lamp,  but  the  Book  that  lies  be- 
neath it 

138 


Chapter  XXIII 
On  Taking  Things  for  Granted 

THE  cliff-sealer,  who  lowers  his  comrade  down  the 
precipice,  does  not  take  for  granted  the  fastening 
around  the  tree  or  the  stoutness  of  the  rope ;  but  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  too  often  throws  his  young 
people  into  the  treacherous  depths  of  thought  and  life 
with  little  care  for  their  life-rope's  integrity  or  moor- 
ings. More  than  once  or  twice  or  thrice  in  my  own 
experience,  after  weeks  and  months  of  supposedly 
thorough  intercourse  with  my  scholars,  an  awkward 
question,  better  aimed  by  Heaven  than  by  myself,  has 
disclosed  some  fatal  doubt,  some  fundamental  mis- 
conception. I  had  been  taking  for  granted  that  my 
boy  really  believed  Christ  to  be  divine,  or  that  he  had 
at  least  the  beginnings  of  a  conception  of  the  Saviour's 
mission  to  the  earth,  or  that  he  knew  by  experience 
the  meaning  of  prayer,  or  that  he  actually  had  con- 
fidence in  a  future  life. 

I  have  in  mind  a  fine,  thoughtful  fellow,  graduate 
of  a  famous  college  and  a  church-member,  whose 


Sunday-School  Success 

very  thoughtfulness,  and  the  knowledge  of  his  reli- 
gious activity  in  former  years,  led  me,  when  he  entered 
my  class,  to  take  for  granted  his  Christianity.  After 
weeks  of  teaching,  it  was  only  a  chance  question,  in 
private  conversation,  that  led  him  to  the  frank  admis- 
sion that  skeptical  college  friends  had  absolutely  de- 
stroyed his  faith  in  Christ  and  the  Bible,  leaving  him 
with  only  a  sad  and  bewildered  hold  on  the  God  of 
nature.  What  Sunday-school  teacher  has  not  been 
startled  thus  with  disclosures  of  his  own  carelessness 
in  taking  things  for  granted? 

It  is  a  mistake  constantly  to  advertise  skepticism 
by  warning  our  scholars  against  it,  but  it  is  no  mistake 
to  arm  them  against  it.  No  teacher  has  mastered  his 
lesson  until  he  has  mastered  every  doubt  regarding  it 
that  any  of  his  scholars  is  likely  to  entertain.  "  Will 
this  punishment  seem  unjust?  this  event  fabulous? 
this  person  mythical?  this  doctrine  unreasonable?  this 
miracle  unreal?  this  author  apocryphal?  these  men 
and  women  mere  creatures  of  imagination  ?  "  Such 
questions  as  these  are  important  for  the  teacher  to 
consider, — to  consider,  not  ask  in  the  class.  Be- 
cause to  the  teacher  the  account  is  more  true  and 
vivid  than  an  extract  from  yesterday's  newspaper,  he 
takes  it  for  granted  that  his  scholars  so  regard  it. 
They  may  put  the  lesson  story  in  the  same  category 
as  Baron  Munchausen  or  "The  Ancient  Mariner," 
and  such  a  teacher  would  be  none  the  wiser. 

I  know  of  nothing  in  the  way  of  study  that  is  so 
capable  of  firing  a  Sunday-school  teacher  and  class 
140 


On  Taking  Things  for  Granted 

as  Christian  evidences.  Remember  that  this  also  is 
a  study  of  the  Bible.  Why  is  it  ordinarily  thought 
so  dull?  It  is  full  of  snap  and  point.  Professor 
Fisher's  short  "Manual  of  Christian  Evidences," 
published  by  Charles  Scribner's  Sons  at  seventy-five 
cents,  stands  next  to  my  Bible  as  an  aid  and  inspira- 
tion in  teaching  that  Bible.  I  keep  several  copies, 
and  all  of  them  are  usually  in  the  hands  of  earnest 
scholars.  Often  when  they  are  returned  the  compli- 
ment is,  "  That  book  helped  me  so  much  that  I  have 
bought  a  copy  of  my  own."  That  means  the  con- 
version of  a  doubting  Thomas.  "  Why!  "  exclaimed 
one  such  reader,  "  I  never  knew  before  that  there  was 
anything  to  prove  Christianity  but  the  Bible,  or  any- 
thing but  the  Bible  to  prove  the  Bible." 

A  teacher  that  is  not  in  the  habit  of  questioning 
persistently  and  searchingly  can  have  no  idea  of  the 
depth  and  at  the  same  time  the  shallowness  of  the  re- 
ligious thinking  of  the  average  scholar.  Far  too 
many  teachers  prove  everything  by  quoting  the  in- 
spired Bible,  taking  it  for  granted  that  their  scholars 
accept  the  Bible  as  inspired ;  or  by  referring  to  our 
divine  Saviour,  taking  it  for  granted  that  their  schol- 
ars believe  Christ  to  be  a  divine  Saviour.  Our  schol- 
ars are  more  shrewd  than  that.  Their  answers  will 
be  proper,  but  skepticism  often  lurks  beneath,  ready 
to  spring  up  in  open  infidelity,  secret  scorn,  or  fruit- 
less, formal  morality. 

Skepticism  should  never  be  anticipated,  but  it 
should  never  be  neglected.  It  should  never  be  dealt 
141 


Sunday-School  Success 

with  before  the  class,  if  it  can  be  dealt  with  in  pri- 
vate. But  it  is  a  teacher's  first  duty  to  know  the 
great  truths  of  Christianity,  and  know  why  he  knows 
them.  It  is  his  second  duty  to  make  certain  that 
each  of  his  scholars  knows  them,  and  can  prove  them. 
"  But  we  cannot  cover  the  ground  without  taking 
things  for  granted."  Cover  the  ground!  Superficial 
area,  and  superficial  teaching! 


142 


Chapter  XXIV 
Utilizing  the  Late  Scholar 

THE  late  scholar  is  no  blessing,  and  yet  he  is  far 
from  an  unmixed  evil.  The  wise  teacher  will  get  all 
the  good  he  can  out  of  him. 

Of  course,  he  is  to  be  transformed  into  the  early 
scholar,  care  being  taken  lest  by  mistake  he  be  trans- 
formed into  the  scholar  absent  altogether.  And  dur- 
ing this  process  of  transformation  there  is  a  small 
harvest  of  advantage  to  be  tended. 

Let  his  entrance  be  a  danger  signal.  Don't  act 
mad.  Of  course,  the  electric  current  of  interest  is 
flowing  by  this  time,  or  never,  and  the  late  scholar 
rudely  breaks  it.  But  never  mind.  Better  the  total 
loss  of  your  scholars'  interest  in  the  lesson  than  the 
loss  of  their  respect  for  you. 

Remember,  too,  that  there  may  be  a  good  excuse, — 
even  late  coming  may  mean  earnest  endeavor, — and 
premature  impatience  in  such  case  will  cause  you  dis- 
mayed repentance. 

The  late  scholar  cannot  be  ignored;  don't  try  it. 


Sunday-School  Success 

Sometimes  we  fiercely  attempt  to  finish  our  sentences, 
or  get  answers  to  our  last  questions.  The  late  schol- 
ar is  a  potent  and  aggressive  fact,  and  cannot  be  got 
rid  of  in  that  way. 

No.  Accept  the  situation  promptly  and  sensibly. 
Stop  short  at  once,  and  greet  the  late  comer  heartily. 
Don't  let  him  sneak  into  a  back  seat,  but  set  him  in 
the  midst.  See  that  he  has  a  Bible  or  a  lesson  paper. 
Incorporate  him.  Then  proceed  thriftily  to  utilize 
him.  He  is  your  opportunity  for  a  review.  You 
probably  need  one  at  this  stage  of  the  lesson,  anyway. 
Here  is  your  chance  for  gathering  up  loose  ends  and 
binding  all  the  truths  thus  far  taught  in  a  compact 
whole. 

You  may  do  it  in  this  way :  "  Before  you  came  in, 
Charley,  we  were  talking  about  Christ's  command  to 
lay  up  treasures,  not  on  earth,  but  in  heaven.  We've 
been  deciding  what  some  of  the  earth-treasures  are. 
We've  agreed  that  they  include  money  and  clothes 
and  houses  and  studies  and  friends,  and  that  we 
mustn't  win  any  of  these  in  such  a  way  that  they 
will  belong  merely  to  earth.  You  see?  And  now, 
class,  can  any  one  think  of  another  earth-treasure?  " 

Or  you  may  do  it  in  this  way :  "  Here's  Charley. 
John,  will  you  please  tell  him  what  we  talked  about 
at  the  beginning  of  the  lesson?  That's  good.  And 
Bess,  tell  him,  please,  what  conclusion  we  have  come 
to  thus  far.  That's  right.  And  now  let  us  go  on." 

Similarly,  all  through  the  lesson,  the  late  scholar 
may  be  your  excuse  for  bringing  up  points  mentioned 
144 


Utilizing  the  Late  Scholar 

at  the  opening  of  the  hour,  and  needing  repetition. 
"  Something  was  said  at  the  start  which  bears  on  that 
matter,  and  Charley  wasn't  here.  Ned,  please  tell 
him  what  that  was." 

Bring  him  into  the  electric  circle  by  a  question  as 
soon  as  you  can.  But  remember  that  it  takes  time 
for  him  to  become  charged  with  interest  and  under- 
standing as  fully  as  the  rest,  and  ask  him  easy  ques- 
tions at  first,  or,  perhaps  better,  call  on  him  to  read 
a  verse  or  two. 

The  late  scholar's  exit  is  fraught  with  as  much 
danger  as  his  entrance.  You  must  utilize  that  also. 
Let  your  questioning  be  jolly  and  indirect:  "Too 
much  sleep  this  morning,  Billy?  "  "Sorry,  Ellen,  that 
you  couldn't  start  in  with  us  " ;  "  Some  good  points 
you  missed  at  the  opening,  Fred." 

If  rightly  used,  this  is  an  opportunity  for  learning 
of  some  need  or  temptation  that  besets  your  scholar. 
She  may  be  lazy.  He  may  be  too  fond  of  sleep. 
She  may  keep  too  late  hours.  He  may  be  led  astray 
by  the  Sunday  morning  papers.  They  may  fail  to 
see  the  value  of  the  opening  prayer  and  songs.  You 
get  fresh  insight  into  their  characters. 

When  Nature  heals  a  broken  bone,  she  makes  it 
the  stronger  for  the  break.  And  so,  though  the  late 
scholar  seem  to  fracture  sadly  the  interest  of  the  les- 
son, the  wise  teacher  will  know  how  to  mend  the 
matter  in  such  shrewd  fashion  as  to  knit  the  whole 
class  more  firmly  together. 


Chapter  XXV 
Side-Tracking  the  Teacher 

EVEN  the  poorest  teacher  has  a  right  to  the  course 
he  has  marked  out  for  himself;  even  the  smartest 
scholar  has  no  right  to  side-track  him. 

Some  scholars  side-track  their  teacher  merely  to 
show  that  they  understand  how  to  use  the  switch ; 
others  do  it  by  simply  fooling  with  the  switch,  in  pure 
carelessness  and  thoughtlessness;  others  really  wish 
to  bring  the  teacher  nearer  some  private  interest  of 
their  own. 

Their  motive  must  determine  your  treatment  of 
them,— whether  it  is  to  be  the  bruskness  that  rebukes 
conceit,  the  firm  patience  that  resists  carelessness,  or 
the  considerate  postponement  of  questions  that  are 
prompted  by  a  need. 

But  so  far  as  its  effect  on  the  lesson  is  concerned, 
it  makes  no  difference  whether  the  teacher  is  side- 
tracked by  a  switch  of  gold  or  one  of  brass, — the  les- 
son is  "  held  up,"  and  often  permanently. 

It  is  not  always  easy  to  tell  when  these  question- 
146 


Side-Tracking  the  Teacher 

switches  are  open,  and  when  they  are  closed,— when 
they  will  side-track  you,  and  when  they  will  merely 
salute  you  with  a  friendly  rattle  and  let  you  pass ;  the 
tokens  are  not  so  definite  as  on  the  red  and  white 
faces  of  the  switch  indicator.  And  yet  you  cannot 
engineer  your  class  far  without  wrecking  it,  if  you  do 
not  learn  to  read  these  question  indicators,  and  tell  at 
a  glance  whither  they  will  send  you. 

But  what  is  the  use  of  reading  them,  if  you  are  to 
be  at  their  mercy  anyway?  How  shall  we  circum- 
vent these  mischief-making  switchers  ? 

Some  would  abruptly  take  away  their  switch-keys, 
and  practically  dismiss  them  from  the  force ;  that  is, 
they  would  prohibit  questioning  altogether.  But  this 
is  capitulating  to  the  problem.  Some  would  swing 
smilingly  off  upon  the  side-track,  as  if  they  had  in- 
tended to  go  there.  But  that  is  surrendering  their 
preparation.  Some  would  rush  precipitately  into  the 
side-track  and  through  it,  expecting  to  find  at  the 
other  end  a  switch  back  to  the  main  track.  But  thus 
the  lesson  is  usually  derailed. 

On  the  railroad,  of  course,  there  is  authority ;  but 
in  the  Sunday-school  the  less  appeal  to  authority  the 
better.  No,  the  likeness,  to  a  large  extent,  stops 
here ;  for  in  the  Sunday-school  the  only  way  to  deal 
with  a  scholar  who  side-tracks  the  train  is  to  win  him 
by  friendly  arts  to  become  your  helper  rather  than 
your  hinderer. 

In  the  first  place,  many  a  lesson  is  side-tracked 
because  the  main  track  is  not  made  sufficiently  plain 
'47 


Sunday-School  Success 

to  the  scholars'  apprehension.  When  the  lesson 
winds  like  a  snake,  with  a  purpose  known  only  to  the 
teacher  (if  to  him),  small  blame  to  the  scholars  if  they 
switch  it  off  the  wrong  way  by  a  question.  Strike  out 
in  a  bee-line  at  the  start,  and  stick  to  it.  No  one 
will  then  ignorantly  side-track  you. 

In  the  second  place,  many  a  lesson  is  side-tracked 
because  the  teacher  does  not  act  as  if  he  cared 
whether  he  ever  arrived  anywhere  or  not.  Lacka- 
daisical in  manner  and  matter,  his  carelessness  pro- 
vokes equal  carelessness  in  his  scholars.  Let  him,  on 
the  other  hand,  appear  to  be  eagerly  on  the  scent  of 
some  truth,  on  the  track  of  some  fact,  following  the 
path  of  some  event  or  demonstration,  and  his  schol- 
ars will,  in  the  main,  be  "  forth  and  right  on  "  with 
him. 

In  the  third  place,  many  a  lesson  is  side-tracked 
because  the  scholars  are  not  on  the  side  of  the 
teacher.  Of  course,  when  the  two  parties  are  at 
cross-purposes,  things  run  no  more  evenly  than  they 
would  if  the  engineer  of  a  train  were  out  of  touch 
with  his  crew.  The  teacher  must  get  up  an  esprit  de 
corps,  a  class  spirit,  or  his  class  will  be  perpetually 
flying  off  from  him  on  a  tangent.  His  scholars  must 
be  interested  in  him,  if  they  are  to  be  interested  with 
him.  He  must  draw  them  to  himself,  or  they  will 
never  pull  together.  Friendship  in  his  crew  must 
take  the  place  of  authority  in  the  railroad  crew;  and 
the  more  friendship,  the  less  side-tracking. 

In  the  fourth  place,  there  must  be  frankness  of 
148 


Side-Tracking  the  Teacher 

speech.  A  misplaced  switch  on  a  railway,  if  it  pro- 
voked no  further  collision,  would  at  least  provoke  a 
clash  of  words.  There  is  no  reason  why,  if  a  ques- 
tion is  too  far  aside  from  the  main  purpose  of  the 
lesson,  the  teacher  should  not  frankly  say  so.  He 
may  lay  it  away  in  his  mind  for  later  discussion ;  he 
may  promise  to  talk  it  over  after  the  session ;  but  no 
fear  of  being  thought  incompetent,  or  unsympathetic, 
or  arbitrary,  should  induce  him  to  turn  aside  from  his 
one  purpose.  The  wise  teacher  will  make  many 
exceptions,  of  course,  to  every  rule ;  but  nevertheless, 
a  rule  of  the  wise  teacher  it  must  be,  to  say  to  every 
irrelevant  question,  kindly  and  tactfully,  yet  firmly, 
"  Get  thee  behind  me."  For  the  half-hour  is  all  too 
short.  The  impressions  made  are  all  too  confused. 
The  instruction  given  is  all  too  fragmentary.  How- 
ever wise  and  earnest  the  individual  moments  may 
be,  there  is  danger  that  the  half-hour  may  pass  into 
oblivion  at  once,  unless  these  individual  moments 
have  been  wise  and  earnest  to  some  single,  distinct 
end. 

There  is  a  place  for  switches  in  our  Sunday-school 
lesson.  The  train  must  be  made  up.  Side  excur- 
sions must  often  be  made.  There  are  sundry  con- 
necting lines  whose  cars  must  be  switched  in.  But  in 
genuine  Sunday-school  railroading  there  must  be  no 
delay  upon  side-tracks.  Let  all  teachers,  as  far  as 
possible,  run  express. 


149 


Chapter  XXVI 
The  Problem  of  the  Visitor 

THE  analogy  for  the  class-building  of  some  teach- 
ers is  the  arch.  Every  scholar  is  needed  in  his  place, 
or  the  class- work  collapses ;  and  of  course  there  is  no 
room  for  a  visitor.  The  analogy  for  the  true  class  is 
the  electric  circle.  Join  hands  all  around,  and  ever 
room  and  electricity  for  one  more. 

I  do  not  mean  to  imply  that  the  visitor  is  not  a 
problem.  He  is  an  intrusion  on  your  familiar  little 
group.  He  is  a  foreign  and  constraining  element. 
He  is  a  problem,  however,  that  you  cannot  get  rid  of, 
but  must  solve. 

Utilize  the  visitor.  Go  to  work  in  such  way  as  to 
transform  him  into  a  scholar ;  or  if  circumstances  for- 
bid that,  at  any  rate  win  from  his  visit  fresh  interest 
and  inspiration  for  the  class.  Every  visitor  is  an 
angel  of  opportunity,  entertained— how  often!— un- 
awares. 

Let  your  reception  of  the  visitor  be  to  your  class 
an  object-lesson  in  Christian  courtesy.  If  he  comes 
150 


The  Problem  of  the  Visitor 

in  alone,  and  awkwardly  drops  into  a  distant  seat,  do 
not  wait  for  the  busy  superintendent  to  get  around  to 
him.  If  he  is  of  fit  age  for  your  class,  drop  every- 
thing,— the  most  valuable  lesson  you  could  be  teach- 
ing is  not  so  valuable  as  this  practical  example, — and 
go  to  the  stranger.  Introduce  yourself  cordially  to 
him,  and  him  to  the  rest  of  the  class,  or,  at  any  rate, 
to  his  neighbors. 

Sometimes  resign  the  pleasure  of  seeking  the  visi- 
tor yourself,  and  send  some  persuasive  scholar,  thus 
letting  him  have  a  taste  of  the  joy  of  giving  invita- 
tions. Possibly  it  will  help  him  into  the  habit  of 
giving  invitations  outside. 

Get  your  scholars  to  hand  the  visitor  a  lesson  leaf 
or  a  Bible.  Show  them  that  he  is  their  visitor  as  well 
as  yours.  They  will  soon  learn  to  be  delightfully  court- 
eous. But  an  iceberg  teacher  makes  an  iceberg  class. 

And  now  you  are  on  trial  before  your  class.  They 
will  judge  you  by  the  interest  or  the  apathy  of  the 
visitor.  They  are  watching  him,  ready  to  be  ashamed 
or  proud  of  you. 

Yet  do  not  fear  your  visitor.  He  may  come  from 
a  better  school  and  a  better  teacher.  He  may  be 
critical  and  sneering  and  skeptical.  Nevertheless,  he 
is  your  opportunity.  Rejoice  in  it. 

If  he  is  a  better  scholar  than  any  in  your  class, 
what  a  valuable  and  inspiring  example  he  may  be 
made  to  them!  If  a  poorer  scholar,  what  an  oppor- 
tunity to  make  your  class  feel  the  joy  and  power  of 
teaching  some  one! 

'5' 


Sunday-School  Success 

If  he  is  sneering  and  critical,  the  indignation  of  the 
class  will  bind  them  more  enthusiastically  to  you.  If 
he  is  skeptical,  what  a  chance  for  examining  and 
strengthening  foundations! 

The  visitor  is  a  mine  of  new  ideas  and  experiences. 
Old  thoughts  take  on  novel  forms  when  fitted  to  him. 
His  questions  and  answers  exhibit  needs  in  your  own 
class,  unobserved  because  unfamiliar.  His  ways  and 
words  freshen  the  stagnant  class  atmosphere. 

And  so  he  is  your  chance  to  get  out  of  ruts  and 
into  new  ways  and  moods.  Bless  Providence  for 
him,  and  question  him  vigorously,  making  use  of  him 
to  the  utmost. 

Two  cautions,  however.  Let  your  questioning  be 
very  clear.  He  is  unused,  remember,  to  your  little 
mannerisms,  and  must  not  be  confused  by  idiosyn- 
crasies. And  in  your  exultation  over  him  do  not 
neglect  the  others,  nor  seem  to  change  your  plans  for 
the  visitor,  or  to  be  striving  to  show  off  before  him. 

Final  advantage  of  the  visitor :  Teach  your  schol- 
ars to  ask  him  heartily  to  come  again,  not  forgetting 
to  do  so  cordially  yourself.  Committees  on  chnrch 
extension,  remember,  are  trained  in  the  Sunday-school. 

Thus  you  see  that  the  value  of  the  visitor  does  not 
depend  upon  the  visitor  so  much  as  might  be  ima- 
gined. Yet  just  a  word  on  how  to  visit  well. 

Go  to  give  good.  Take  hearty  interest  in  the  les- 
son, and  have  some  thought  to  add  to  the  discussion. 
Better  yet,  have  some  earnest  question  to  ask.  And 
ask  it.  If  you  come  from  another  school,  consider 
152 


The  Problem  of  the  Visitor 

yourself  a  Christian  ambassador  bearing  greetings  of 
brotherly  good  will  and  common  endeavor. 

Go  to  get  good.  Be  unobtrusive  and  teachable. 
And  especially,  show  that  you  have  received  good. 
Express  appreciation,  after  the  lesson,  to  teacher  and 
scholars.  Then  will  you  be  blessed,  and,  changing 
the  meaning  of  the  word  "visitation,"  these  words 
from  the  Wisdom  of  Solomon  may  be  applied  to  you : 
"  In  the  time  of  their  visitation  they  shall  shine,  and 
run  to  and  fro  like  sparks  among  the  stubble." 


'53 


Chapter  XXVII 
"Under  Petticoat  Government" 

ONE  of  the  brightest  women  in  the  United  States, 
a  woman  well  known  to  the  Protestant  churches  of 
the  world,  was  groaning  to  me  the  other  day :  "  What 
shall  I  do  with  those  boys  in  my  Sunday-school  class? 
They  are  just  at  the  age  when  they  think  they  know  a 
little  more  than  any  woman.  They  need  a  man. 
Don't  you  think  the  superintendent  ought  to  remove 
them  from  under  petticoat  government?" 

This  cry,  that  came  so  strangely  from  a  woman  of 
her  ability  and  fame,  comes  also  from  a  throng  of 
baffled  Sunday-school  teachers.  The  answer  would 
be  easy,  if  there  were  anything  like  as  many  good 
Sunday-school  teachers  among  the  men  as  among  the 
women.  As  it  is,  however,  most  boy  classes  must  be 
assigned  either  to  a  distasteful  petticoat  government, 
or  to  an  incompetent  pantaloon  government,  or — cast 
adrift  until,  long  years  afterward,  they  drop  anchor  in 
the  haven  of  matrimony,  and  happily,  perchance,  ap- 
pear once  more  in  the  Sunday-school,  in  the  "  Bible 
class." 

154 


"Under  Petticoat  Government" 

The  remedy,  however,  though  not  easy,  is  manifest. 
The  boys  do  not  need  a  man,  but  they  do  need  in 
their  teacher  certain  manly  qualities  that  could  be 
incorporated  in  a  woman's  teaching.  These  qualities 
all  women  whom  the  Lord  of  the  Sunday-school  has 
set  over  a  class  of  his  boys,  should  seek  to  get. 

The  most  obvious  of  them,  I  think,  is  a  certain 
dignity  and  reserve  that  show  themselves  as  well  in 
refraining  from  scolding  as  in  declining  to  pat  on  the 
head  or  hold  by  the  hand.  Boys  of  the  undefinable 
age  we  are  talking  about  highly  appreciate  the  title 
"  Mr."  Their  greatest  horror  is  petting ;  their  great- 
est aversion  is  nagging.  A  young  man,  set  to  teach 
a  class  of  boys,  will  approach  them  with  a  sense  of 
comradeship ;  will  at  once  make  himself,  if  he  is  a 
teacher  at  all,  "  hail  fellow  well  met "  among  them ; 
and  yet,  as  the  boys  say,  "  there  is  no  nonsense  about 
him." 

It  is  far  better — bad  as  that  is — to  talk  over  the 
heads  of  boys  than  to  talk  down  to  them.  It  is  far 
better  to  use  too  few  words  than  too  many.  If  a 
teacher  would  hold  boys,  she  must  be  concise,  straight- 
forward, businesslike.  Indeed,  the  latter  adjective 
comes  near  to  being  the  key  to  the  situation.  Boys 
dislike  fussiness,  and  wordiness,  and  beating  about 
the  bush.  Woman  teachers  that  are  eager  for  boys' 
souls  will  take  a  long  step  toward  their  astonished 
approbation  if  they  school  themselves  to  brevity, 
dignity,  and  "business." 

Set  the  boys  to  work.  Imitate  common-school 
155 


Sunday-School  Success 

methods.  In  the  public  school  woman  teachers  hold 
the  boys,  and  win  their  honest  hearts.  It  is  largely 
because  here  there  are  definiteness  of  purpose  and  firm 
continuity  of  aim.  Boys  are  easily  mastered  by  a 
taskmaster  who  is  master  of  her  task.  Boys  that 
cannot  be  won  by  Sunday-school  preaching  are  readily 
won  by  Sunday-school  teaching.  Lay  down  a  distinct 
course  of  work,  with  a  goal  in  fair  view,  and  they 
will  gird  up  the  loins  of  their  minds ;  but  they  refuse 
to  follow  you  in  aimless  wanderings  through  a  thicket. 
To  learn  in  chronological  order  the  seventy-five 
prominent  events  in  Christ's  life ;  to  trace  through 
the  Bible  the  doctrine  of  the  atonement ;  to  commit 
to  memory  every  Scripture  passage  bearing  on  the 
temperance  problem;  to  write  a  six-hundred-word 
abstract  of  the  Book  of  Genesis ;  to  make  a  classifi- 
cation of  the  Psalms  by  topics ;  to  compile  the  Bible 
proverbs  that  have  to  do  with  money  and  wealth- 
getting  ;  to  make  a  diagram  graphically  depicting  the 
history  of  the  Old  Testament  Hebrews ;  to  write  out 
the  Ten  Commandments,  and  place  in  parallel 
columns  the  New  Testament  enlargements  and  inter- 
pretations thereof, — these  are  samples  of  the  work 
boys  would  like  to  do.  They  would  give  high  praise 
to  a  teacher  who  conducted  them  through  such  tasks. 
They  would  say  that  she  "  meant  business." 

And  that  leads  me  to  mention  another  point  in 
which  woman  teachers  are  more  likely  than  men  to 
fail,  though  both  are  far  too  weak, — the  use  of  evi- 
dence, of  proof.     This  is  a  hobby  of  mine,  but  it  is 
156 


"  Under  Petticoat  Government " 

the  boys  themselves,  and  recollections  of  my  own 
boyhood,  that  have  set  me  on  the  hobby.  Wherever 
a  thing  is  susceptible  of  proof,  boys  want  it  proved  to 
them.  If  it  is  not  susceptible  of  proof,  they  want 
that  proved  to  them,  also.  Woman's  traditional 
"  because  "  does  not  commend  itself  to  the  lawyerlike 
boys.  Fresh  from  their  botany  in  the  public  schools, 
they  refuse  to  take  on  faith  the  Cana  miracle.  Ready 
for  their  physiology  or  physics  the  next  day,  they 
want  more  proof  than  a  "  say  so  "  that  a  leper  was 
ever  healed  by  a  word  or  that  Peter  really  walked  on 
the  waves.  "  It  is  in  the  Bible  "  is  not  enough ;  they 
must  know  why  they  must  believe  the  Bible. 

Now  I  am  not  so  foolish  as  to  advise  any  one  to 
suggest  skepticism  to  a  boy,  and  I  know  that  there  is 
a  way  of  handling  Scripture  evidences  that  serves 
rather  to  raise  doubt  than  to  confirm  faith ;  but  I  have 
enough  of  the  boy  in  me  to  be  sure  that  in  no  way 
can  a  teacher  more  highly  exalt  both  herself  and 
Christianity  in  the  eyes  of  the  boys  than  by  insisting 
on  the  reasonableness  of  both.  I  had  the  best  of 
Sunday-school  teachers,  quite  a  score  of  them,  women 
and  men ;  yet  until  full  manhood  I  wrestled  all  alone 
with  a  concealed  and  absolute  skepticism  that  would 
not  down  until  I  had  hunted  out  for  myself  the  many 
overwhelming  proofs  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 
If  any  of  my  twenty  teachers  had  set  those  proofs 
with  lawyerlike  force  and  directness  before  my  boyish 
mind,  1  should  have  been  saved  some  very  dark  years 
that  came  near  making  an  infidel  of  me  altogether. 


Sunday-School  Success 

Because  I  think  that  boys  feel  this  need  of  proof  and 
evidence  more  than  girls,  and  that  women  are  less 
ready  to  meet  the  need  than  men,  I  have  ventured  to 
add  this  suggestion  to  my  list. 

And  that  list  may  close  with  only  one  point  further. 
Boys  like  to  be  taught  by  men,  because  through  men 
they  get  a  telescope-view  into  the  life-work  that  lies 
before  them.  Men  teachers  draw  their  illustrations 
from  mannish  things,  from  business  life,  from  inven- 
tions, from  politics,  from  commerce,  from  the  law. 
Where  a  woman  might  illustrate  dishonesty  by  apple- 
stealing,  thereby  causing  every  urchin  before  her  to 
exclaim  "  Chestnut! "  under  his  breath,  a  man  would 
be  more  likely  to  make  some  discussion  about  water- 
ing stock  or  falsifying  entries.  A  man  is  more  likely 
than  a  woman  to  render  Scripture  vivid  and  practical 
by  reference  to  current  events,  dropping  a  word  here 
and  there  about  the  war  between  China  and  Japan, 
about  Gladstone's  retirement,  about  the  Manitoba 
school  question,  about  the  Honduras  lottery, — just  a 
word,  but  the  boys  prick  up  their  ears.  A  woman 
might  compare  Gideon  with  David,  but  a  man  would 
be  far  more  likely  to  compare  him  with  Parkhurst. 

And  now  my  point  is  that  the  boy  needs  both, — 
both  David  and  Parkhurst.  There  is  no  reason  why 
the  woman  teacher  cannot  give  the  boy  everything 
he  could  get  from  a  man  teacher,  and  more.  It  is 
easy  to  appear  to  a  boy  quite  a  Solon  regarding  cur- 
rent events.  It  is  not  so  very  hard,  by  the  exercise 
of  a  consecrated  imagination,  to  place  yourself  by  the 
138 


"Under  Petticoat  Government" 

boy's  side  on  the  outskirts  of  the  great,  wide  world 
of  busy  activities  he  is  soon  to  enter,  and  feel  his  im- 
patience to  be  there  and  his  hunger  for  any  tidings 
from  that  charmed  country.  Show  him  how  Chris- 
tianity untangles  the  skeins  of  business,  is  the  master- 
key  to  all  true  politics,  the  foundation  of  law,  the 
compass  of  commerce,  the  force  of  civilization. 
Read  the  newspapers  wisely,  and  find  out  what  is 
going  on  in  the  world.  Read  wisely  the  hearts  of 
your  boys,  and  find  out  what  is  going  on  in  that 
world.  Lift  manfully  over  both  worlds  the  banner 
of  Christ. 

One  point  at  a  time,  with  cheerful  persistence,  the 
teacher  that  "means  business"  will  win  for  her 
teaching  these  adaptations  to  the  needs  of  her  boys. 
And  in  the  process,  losing  nothing  of  womanliness, 
she  will  have  nobly  broadened  her  own  life,  while  as 
its  result  she  will  have  won  a  double  hold,  both  a 
woman's  hold  and  a  man's  hold,  on  the  hearts  of  the 
boys. 


159 


Chapter  XXVIII 
The  Teacher's  Three  Graces 

THE  teacher's  manner  must  be  heart-born.  It 
must  not  become  mannerism,  which  is  head-born,  and 
never  reaches  hearts.  "  Manner  maketh  the  man," 
and  also  the  teacher,— half-way,  at  least.  If  we  sus- 
pect, however,  that  our  manner  is  defective,  the 
manner  itself  is  the  last  thing  to  look  at;  we  must 
look  at  our  heart.  That  is  the  place  to  get  the  change. 

Three  heart  qualities  produce  the  ideal  teacher's 
manner.  One  of  these  is  earnestness.  If  you  would 
make  on  your  scholars  an  impression  that  will  last  be- 
yond the  hour,  you  yourself  must  be  deeply  impressed 
with  the  eternal  years.  To  move  their  life,  keep  before 
you  their  death.  That  is  hard  to  do,  when  con- 
fronted by  such  abounding  youthful  vigor  and  vitality. 
Become  an  advocate,  a  pleader,  with  eternal  life  as 
the  stake.  Learn  to  know  deeply  the  great  central 
truths  of  sin,  atonement,  sanctification.  Aim  at  radi- 
cal and  positive  results  in  confession,  testimony, 
spirituality,  character,  and  conduct,  and  press  toward 
these  as  the  genuine  verdict  on  your  teaching. 
160 


The  Teacher's  Three  Graces 

The  second  quality  is  cheeriness.  We  are  prophets 
of  awful  alternatives,  but  we  are  also  ministers  of  the 
most  blessed  joy.  Happiness  is  the  best  recommen- 
dation of  Christianity.  In  it  center  all  the  Christian 
evidences.  Learn  by  heart  all  the  promises;  they 
are  better  teaching  weapons  than  the  prohibitions  and 
warnings.  Keep  a  smile  very  close  to  the  surface, 
and  improve  every  fair  chance  to  laugh.  The 
teacher  that  is  in  earnest,  need  never  be  afraid  to  be 
merry.  Permit  no  exaggeration  of  the  facts  of 
wickedness,  either  in  them  or  in  others.  The  more 
stormy  the  day  and  the  fewer  in  attendance,  the 
cheerier  be  you. 

The  third  quality  is  sympathy.  The  true  teacher 
has,  or  gets,  the  poet's  ability  to  project  himself  into 
the  lives  of  others.  He  keeps  invisible,  tactful  anten- 
nae playing  in  all  directions,  feeling  this  one's  com- 
ing embarrassment  before  it  arrives,  conscious  of  that 
one's  eager  assent  before  it  lights  his  eyes,  exploring 
homes  and  occupations  and  character  in  order  to 
adapt  question  to  scholar.  Without  argument  or 
plan,  but  by  instinctive  appreciation  of  differing  per- 
sonality, the  true  teacher  assumes  dignity  with  this 
pupil,  bonhomie  with  that.  So  far  is  he  from  treating 
all  alike,  that  he  never  treats  even  the  same  person 
in  the  same  way  two  days  in  succession,  knowing, 
by  feeling  rather  than  theory,  that  no  one— especially 
no  child — is  the  same  person  two  days  in  succession. 

These  are  the  teacher's  three  graces :  earnestness, 
born  of  faith  and  unsatisfied  until  it  has  inspired  an 
161 


Sunday-School  Success 

equal  faith;  cheeriness,  born  of  hope,  and  hope- 
creating  ;  and  sympathy,  born  of  love,  which  is  the 
greatest  of  all.  These  in  the  heart  blossom  outwardly 
into  the  perfect  teaching  manner, — earnestness  to 
arrest,  cheeriness  to  attract,  and  sympathy  to  hold. 
"  Covet  earnestly  the  best  gifts." 


162 


Chapter  XXIX 
Something  to  Belong  to 

I  BELIEVE  in  the  organization  of  Sunday-school 
classes,  because  it  fosters  class  spirit.  If  it  is  a  good 
thing  to  have  a  class,  it  is  a  good  thing  for  the  class 
to  have  a  spirit.  This  class  spirit  should  promote  the 
school  spirit,  just  as  the  esprit  de  corps  of  a  company 
enhances  the  loyalty  of  soldiers  to  their  regiment. 

When  a  scholar  has  signed  a  constitution,  he  feels 
that  he  belongs  to  the  school.  Lacking  this  feeling, 
he  will  not  be  long  with  the  school  or  with  anything 
else. 

In  the  simple  constitution  of  my  class  (which  is  a 
class  of  young  men)  are  provisions  for  a  porch,  a 
lookout,  and  a  social  committee. 

The  porch  committee  watches  the  morning  congre- 
gation for  strange  young  men,  and  invites  them  to 
come  to  Sunday-school.  The  lookout  committee 
seeks  throughout  town  and  church  for  permanent 
additions  to  the  class,  whom,  through  its  chairman,  it 
proposes  for  membership.  This  is  a  great  gain. 


Sunday-School  Success 

When  a  teacher  urges  people  to  join  his  class  he]  is 
inviting  them  to  the  gospel,  certainly,  but  he  is  also 
inviting  them  to  himself.  In  the  first  cause  he  is  as 
bold  as  a  lion,  but  in  the  second  many  a  modest  soul 
is  naturally,  even  though  foolishly,  bashful.  Happy 
the  teacher  whose  scholars  are  zealous  in  this  vital 
service,  for  him  so  delicate  and  for  them  so  blessed! 

The  voting  in  of  new  members,  with  the  subsequent 
producing  of  the  constitution  for  signatures,  is  a  little 
ceremony  as  useful  for  the  old  scholars  in  reminding 
them  of  their  class  autonomy  as  it  is  inspiring  to  the 
new  scholars.  A  hearty  word  of  welcome  from  the 
teacher  to  the  new-comers  gives  them  a  formal  and 
public  installation.  They  have  indeed  taken  on 
themselves  a  new  function. 

The  social  committee  will  greatly  add  to  the  effi- 
ciency of  any  class.  Monthly  class  socials  are  genuine 
means  of  grace.  Our  socials  are  thus  managed: 
Each  social  has  a  solid  backbone,  consisting  of  a 
paper  or  talk  by  some  member  of  the  class,  detailing 
little-known  points  in  his  own  business.  Of  a  neigh- 
boring class  similarly  organized,  one  is  a  young  archi- 
tect, another  works  in  a  rope-walk,  a  third  holds  an 
important  position  in  a  newspaper  office,  a  fourth  is 
in  the  leather  business,  the  teacher  of  the  class  is  a 
judge.  Utilizing  the  experiences  of  their  own  mem- 
bers and  friends,  this  class  has  held  quite  remarkable 
socials.  It  has  found  the  contribution  of  the  clerk 
in  a  furniture  store  as  interesting  as  that  of  the  young 
banker.  The  class  have  been  wonderfully  knit  to- 
164 


Something  to  Belong  to 

gether  by  the  bonds  of  a  common  and  a  widening 
interest.  After  these  papers  or  talks  (which  are  often 
appropriately  illustrated),  come  discussion  and  ques- 
tions, followed  by  games  or  light  refreshments.  By 
occasional  joint  socials  of  this  kind  we  hope  to  draw 
together  this  class  and  my  own.  Of  course,  this  is 
only  one  out  of  a  myriad  schemes  of  entertainment 
that  could  be  devised  for  these  class  socials.  The 
point  the  shrewd  teacher  will  notice  is  that  it  is  the 
scholars  themselves  who  plan  these  socials,  and  who 
thus  take  into  their  own  hands  the  creation  of  a 
warm,  helpful  class  atmosphere.  Every  teacher 
should  know  that  in  making  new  scholars  feel  at 
home  it  is  hardly  his  own  sociability,  but  that  of  his 
scholars,  that  counts. 

If  the  class  is  thus  organized,  the  teacher  must 
guard  the  authority  of  his  class  president  as  jealously 
as  his  own.  If  you  want  your  class  officers  to  feel 
genuine  responsibility,  it  must  be  genuine  responsi- 
bility that  you  put  upon  them.  Give  up  to  the  presi- 
dent, during  the  conduct  of  business,  your  place  in 
front  of  the  class.  Wait  to  be  recognized  by  him 
before  you  speak.  Make  few  motions.  Inspire  others 
to  take  the  initiative. 

The  election  of  officers  should  come  every  six 
months,  and  it  is  best  to  bring  about  a  thorough  ro- 
tation in  office.  Improve  every  chance  to  emphasize 
the  class  organization.  If  your  school  arrangements 
permit,  vote  every  month  on  the  disposal  of  the  class 
collections.  If  you  must  be  absent  a  Sunday,  ask 
165 


Sunday-School  Success 

the  class  to  elect  a  substitute  teacher,  and  ask  the 
president  to  inform  the  substitute  of  his  election.  An 
alternate  should  be  chosen  also,  to  make  the  thing 
sure.  This  little  device  serves  to  make  the  scholars 
as  loyal  to  the  substitute  teacher  as  to  their  own,  for 
they  have  made  him  their  own.  In  the  course  of  the 
lessons,  also,  a  wide-awake  teacher  will  frequently 
mention  and  emphasize  the  class  organization. 

Of  course  the  whole  plan  will  fall  flat  if  the  teacher 
wholly  delegates  to  his  scholars  any  or  all  of  these 
lines  of  work.  He  also  must  invite  the  strangers,  if 
he  expects  his  scholars  to  do  so.  He  also  must  seek 
for  new  members,  if  he  would  inspire  them  to  do  the 
same.  Without  his  sociableness  they  will  soon  be- 
come frigid.  The  teacher  alone  has  the  dipper  of 
water  that  starts  the  pump.  Any  contrivance  that 
lessens  his  responsibility  lessens  his  success. 

But  the  plan  I  have  outlined  has  value,  not  because 
it  permits  the  teacher  to  do  less,  but  because  it  incites 
the  scholars  to  do  vastly  more.  An  ounce  drawn  out 
is  better  than  a  ton  put  in.  One  thing  you  get  them 
to  do  is  a  greater  triumph  than  a  dozen  things  you  do 
much  better  for  them. 


166 


Chapter  XXX 
Through  Eye-Gate 

BEFORE  his  listless  and  restless  audience  the  lec- 
turer took  in  his  hand  a  piece  of  chalk,  turned  to  the 
blackboard,  and  touched  it.  Instantly  he  had  the 
eager  attention  of  all.  He  did  nothing  with  the 
chalk ;  had  not  intended  to  do  anything ;  he  carried 
his  point  with  it,  nevertheless. 

A  teacher,  plus  a  bit  of  chalk,  is  two  teachers.  And 
any  one  may  double  himself  thus,  if  he  choose  to  take 
a  little  pains. 

Surely  there  need  be  no  hesitation  as  to  the  mate- 
rials. If  you  can  have  a  blackboard,  that  is  fine.  I 
myself  like  best  a  board  fastened  to  the  wall,  and  a 
second  board  hinged  to  this  after  the  fashion  of  a 
double  slate.  The  outside  may  be  used  for  "  standing 
matter,"  and  the  inside  opened  up  for  the  surprises. 

But  this  is  a  great  luxury.  A  portable,  flexible 
blackboard  will  answer,  if  your  class  is  away  from  the 
wall.  You  can  roll  it  up  and  carry  it  home  to  prac- 
tise there.  You  can  use  both  sides  of  it.  Such  black- 
boards may  be  obtained  now  for  two  dollars. 

Not  even  a  flexible  blackboard,  however,  is  essen- 
167 


Sunday-School  Success 

rial.  A  slate  will  serve  you  admirably,  and  some  of 
the  best  chalk-talkers  use  simple  sheets  of  manilla 
paper  tacked  to  ordinary  pine  boards. 

Then,  as  to  the  chalk,  by  all  means  use  colored 
crayons.  It  is  easy  to  learn  effective  contrasts  of 
colors,  and  bright  hues  will  increase  many  fold  the 
attractiveness  of  your  pictures  and  diagrams.  But 
these  crayons  need  not  be  of  the  square  variety,  sold 
especially  for  such  work  at  thirty-five  cents  a  box. 
They  produce  beautiful  results,  but  the  ordinary 
schoolroom  box  of  assorted  colors  will  serve  your  turn 
admirably  and  cost  much  less. 

And  if  the  materials  are  readily  obtained,  so  is  the 
artistic  skill.  Trust  to  the  active  imaginations  of  the 
children.  Remember  in  their  own  drawings  how 
vivid  to  them  are  the  straight  lines  that  stand  for  men, 
the  squares  that  represent  houses,  the  circles  with 
three  dots  that  set  forth  faces  with  eyes  and  mouth. 
I  once  saw  Mrs.  Crafts  teach  the  parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  in  a  most  fascinating  way  to  some  little 
tots,  and  her  blackboard  work  was  merely  some  rough 
ovals,  each  drawn  half  through  its  neighbor,  to  rep- 
resent a  chain  of  love, — love  to  papa,  love  to  mamma, 
to  sister,  brother,  friend,  teacher, — neighbor.  And  as 
circle  after  circle  was  briskly  added,  every  child  was 
filled  with  delight.  That  same  parable  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  I  once  saw  perfectly  illustrated — for  all 
practical  purposes — by  four  squares,  each  with  two 
parallel  lines  curving  from  one  upper  corner  to  the 
opposite  lower  one,  to  represent  the  descent  of  the 
168 


Through  Eye-Gate 

Jericho  road,  while  the  various  scenes  were  depicted 
with  the  aid  of  short,  straight  lines,  the  man  fallen 
among  thieves  being  a  horizontal  line,  the  priest  and 
Levite  being  stiffly  upright  and  placed  on  appropriate 
points  in  the  road,  while  the  line  for  the  Samaritan 
was  leaning  over  as  if  helping  his  fallen  brother  rise ! 
Surely  that  series  of  drawings  was  not  beyond  the 
artistic  skill  of  any  teacher. 

One  of  the  beauties  of  such  simple  work  is  that  it 
may  be  dashed  off  in  the  presence  of  the  scholars, 
while  more  elaborate  pictures  must  be  prepared  be- 
forehand ;  and  half  the  value  of  blackboard  work  is 
in  the  attention  excited  by  the  moving  chalk.  I  use 
the  expression  "  dashed  off,"  but  I  do  not  want  to 
imply  careless  work.  The  straight  lines  should  be  as 
straight  as  you  can  make  them  without  a  ruler,  the 
circles  as  true  circles  as  can  be  drawn  without  a  string, 
and  the  stars  should  have  equal  points.  The  simpler 
the  drawing,  the  more  need  that  every  mark  should 
have  its  mission  and  fulfill  it  well.  A  confused  scrawl 
will  only  make  mental  confusion  worse  confounded. 
Don't  be  satisfied  with  rough  work,  or  it  will  con- 
stantly become  rougher.  Try  to  do  better  all  the  time. 

Of  course,  this  means  home  practice,  even  for  the 
simplest  of  exercises,  like  Mrs.  Crafts'  links  of  the 
love-chain.  The  nearer  the  links  are  to  perfect  ovals, 
the  better.  The  more  nicely  they  are  shaded  on  one 
side,  the  more  distinct  will  be  the  impression  of  a 
chain.  And  the  more  rapidly  they  can  be  drawn,  the 
more  tense  will  be  the  children's  interest.  A  few  easy 
169 


Sunday-School  Success 

lessons  in  drawing,  from  some  public-school  teacher 
or  some  text-book,  will  prove  of  inestimable  value, 
—lessons  enough  to  give  you  at  least  an  idea  of  per- 
spective, so  that  you  can  make  a  house  or  a  box  stand 
out  from  the  board,  and  know  which  sides  to  shade 
of  the  inside  of  a  door.  Make  such  simple  begin- 
nings as  I  have  indicated,  and  determine  to  advance, 
however  slowly.  It  is  hard  to  draw  a  man,  but  not 
so  difficult  if  you  are  willing  to  begin  with  a  little  cir- 
cle for  the  head,  an  oval  for  the  body,  and  two 
straight  lines  for  legs. 

But  even  if  you  do  not  draw  at  all,  it  is  well  worth 
while  to  use  chalk.  Almost  magical  effects  may  be 
produced  by  a  single  sentence,  sometimes  a  single 
word,  written  on  the  board.  If  your  lesson  is  the  last 
chapter  of  the  Bible,  the  one  word  "  Come ! "  will  be 
blackboard  work  enough.  Add  to  it,  if  you  will,  at 
the  close  of  the  recitation,  this  earnest  question : 
"  Why  not  to-day?  "  Every  lesson  has  its  key-word 
or  its  key-sentence.  Write  it  large  on  your  scholars' 
hearts  by  writing  it  large  upon  the  blackboard. 

In  such  work,  as  in  drawing,  you  may  begin  with 
simple  writing  (your  best  script,  however! )  and  go  on 
to  as  high  a  degree  of  elaborateness  as  you  fancy. 
A  printer's  book  of  samples  will  introduce  you  to  fas- 
cinating and  varied  forms  of  letters.  Your  colored 
chalks  may  be  used  in  exquisite  illumination.  You 
may  learn  from  penmen  their  most  bewitching  scrolls. 
And  all  of  this  will  be  enjoyed  by  the  children,  and 
will  contribute  to  the  impressiveness  of  the  truth,  pro- 
170 


Through  Eye-Gate 

•vided  you  are  jealous  to  keep  it  subordinate  to  the 
truth.  Otherwise,  plain  longhand  is  to  be  preferred 
to  the  end  of  the  chapter. 

Another  easy  way  to  use  the  blackboard — still 
without  venturing  on  drawing — is  by  constructing 
diagrams.  What  a  key  to  Scripture  chronology,  for 
instance,  is  furnished  your  scholars  when  you  draw  a 
horizontal  line  to  represent  the  four  thousand  years 
from  Adam  to  Christ,  bisect  it  for  Abraham,  bisect 
the  last  half  for  Solomon,  bisect  the  third  quarter  for 
Moses,  and  continue  to  bisect  as  long  as  a  famous 
man  stands  at  the  bisecting-point !  How  it  clears  up 
the  life  of  Christ  to  draw  two  circles,  the  inner  one 
for  Jerusalem,  the  outer  for  Nazareth,  dividing  them 
into  thirty-three  parts  for  the  years  of  our  Saviour's 
life,  and  running  a  curved  line  in  and  out  according 
as  his  journeys  took  him  to  Nazareth  and  beyond  its 
circle,  or  back  to  Jerusalem  at  the  feast-times !  Such 
circles  will  also  serve  to  depict  graphically  Paul's  mis- 
sionary journeys,  the  outer  circle  representing  Antioch. 
Any  series  of  historical  events  may  well  be  strung 
along  a  vertical  line  divided  into  decades,  and  paral- 
lel series,  as  in  the  history  of  the  northern  and  south- 
ern kingdoms,  along  two  parallel  verticals.  An  outline 
map,  such  as  the  teacher  may  draw  from  memory,  will 
furnish  an  excellent  basis  for  another  kind  of  diagram, 
the  progress  of  persons  or  of  series  of  events  being 
traced  from  place  to  place  by  dotted  lines,  a  different 
color  for  each  person  or  journey  or  group  of  incidents. 

Acrostics  furnish  still  another  use  for  the  blackboard. 
171 


Sunday-School  Success 

For  example,  draw  out  from  the  class  by  questions  a 
list  of  the  prominent  characteristics  of  David.  He  was 

Daring 

Active 

Vigilant 

Inspired 

Dutiful 

Not  until  the  list  is  completed  does  the  class  see  that 
its  initial  letters  spell  David's  name.  You  have  at- 
tained the  element  of  surprise,  so  valuable  in  work  of 
this  sort.  Again,  in  a  lesson  on  the  rich  young  man, 
or  on  Dives  and  Lazarus,  or  on  Zaccheus,  write  in  a 
vertical  column  the  letters  of  Christ's  name,  and  draw 
straight  lines  to  the  right  in  various  directions,  as 
shown  in  the  following  diagram.  Transferring  the 
letters,  or  getting  some  scholar  to  transfer  them,  to 
the  points  indicated,  you  quickly  insert  an  E,  and  it 
reads :  "  Christ— richest." 


172 


Through  Eye-Gate 

The  application  is  obvious,  and  will  never  be  for- 
gotten. 

Often,  in  seeking  for  such  an  effective  presentation 
of  a  lesson's  truth,  we  hit  upon  alliteration,  and  then 
our  blackboard  work  is  easy.  Three  P's : 


Fill  them  out,  as  the  lesson  proceeds,  thus : 

P"T~~Xompously 
rayed  I— ^ 

JL     enitently 


And.  often,  again,  our  form  will  be  based  upon  simi- 
lar terminations  or  beginnings  of  words,  such  as : 

[  choosing 
Solomon  <  reigning 
I  sinning 

Suggestions  and  examples  of  such  work  might  be 
indefinitely  multiplied.  It  is  one  of  the  easiest,  yet 
one  of  the  most  effective,  methods  of  fixing  the  points 
of  a  lesson. 

The  earnest  teacher  will  be  drawn  irresistibly  from 
the  use  of  the  chalk  in  diagrams,  acrostics,  and  the 
like,  to  simple  drawings ;  and  by  this  time  he  will  real- 
ize the  importance  of  simplicity.  A.  set  of  steps,  for 
instance,  is  easy  to  draw ;  we  may  use  only  the  pro- 
file ;  but  the  drawing  will  fix  forever  in  your  scholars' 
minds  the  events  in  Solomon's  life.  To  a  certain 
point  the  steps  are  all  upward.  Yellow  chalk  shows 
them  to  be  golden.  A  word  written  over  each  step 


Sunday-School  Success 

gives  the  event  it  symbolizes.  On  a  sudden  the  steps 
turn  downward,  become  a  dirty  brown,  each  repre- 
senting a  sin,  and  break  short  off  as  Solomon  takes 
his  terrible  fall. 

Who  cannot  draw  a  number  of  rough  circles? 
They  will  stand  for  the  stones  thrown  at  Stephen. 
A  word  or  initial  written  in  each  will  represent  the 
different  kinds  of  persecutions  that  assail  faithful 
Christians  in  our  modern  days.  Who  cannot  draw  a 
shepherd's  crook,  and  write  alongside  it  the  points  of 
the  Twenty-third  Psalm,  or  the  ways  in  which  Christ 
is  the  Good  Shepherd?  Who  cannot  draw  a  large 
wineglass,  and  write  inside  it  some  of  the  evils  that 
come  out  of  it?  Who  cannot  draw  a  rectangle  for 
a  letter,  and  write  upon  it  a  direction,  to  make  more 
vivid  some  of  the  epistles?  or  a  trumpet  inside  seven 
circles,  to  brighten  up  the  lesson  on  the  fall  of  Jeri- 
cho? As  a  rule,  the  very  best  chalk-talks  are  the 
simplest,  and  require  the  least  skill  in  drawing. 

But  how  to  get  the  ideas?  Where  to  find  the 
pictures? 

Of  course,  in  the  first  place,  from  the  books  of  first- 
rate  chalk-talkers,  such  as  Pierce's  "  Pictured  Truth," 
Frank  Beard's  "The  Blackboard  in  the  Sunday- 
school,"  and  Belsey's  "The  Bible  and  the  Black- 
board" (an  English  book).  Of  course,  also,  from 
the  many  admirable  periodicals  that  publish  black- 
board hints,  such  as  the  "Lesson  Illustrator,"  the 
"  Sunday-school  Times,"  and  the  teachers'  magazines 
of  the  various  denominations.  Get  hints  also  from 
»74 


Through  Eye-Gate 

the  blackboard  work  of  the  public  school  and  the 
kindergarten,  as  to  manner,  if  not  as  to  matter. 

But  as  for  the  design,  your  own  is  the  best  for  you, 
and  not  another's.  Study  all  the  blackboard  work 
you  can  find,  and  retain  whatever  gravitates  to  you ; 
but  your  own  original  design  is  the  one  you  will  best 
understand,  and  in  presenting  it  you  will  have  more 
of  that  enthusiasm  which  makes  success. 

Learn  to  find  pictures  all  through  the  Bible.  I 
have  just  been  searching  my  mind  for  a  Bible  text 
that  promised  nothing  in  the  way  of  a  picture.  At 
last  I  thought  that  "  All  have  sinned  and  come  short 
of  the  glory  of  God  "  would  do.  But  in  another  sec- 
ond two  pictures  popped  into  my  mind.  I  saw  a 
river  whose  further  bank  was  beautiful  with  flowers 
and  trees,  the  paradise  of  "the  glory  of  God,"  and 
across  the  river  a  bridge— lacking  its  final  portion. 
I  saw  a  ladder  reaching  up  into  some  golden  clouds 
back  of  which  shone  heaven,  the  city  of  "  the  glory 
of  God  " ;  but  all  the  top  rounds  of  the  ladder  were 
missing.  Bridge  and  ladder  had  "come  short." 
God's  hand  was  needed,  reaching  across,  reaching 
down,  to  help  us  over  the  sin-gap  into  "  the  glory  of 
God."  I  do  not  believe  it  possible  to  find  any  Bible 
texts,  still  less  any  twelve  consecutive  verses  of  the 
Bible,  that  do  not  hide  somewhere  a  capital  picture. 

Read  your  Bible  pictorially.  Make  sketches  every- 
where upon  the  margin.  For  practice,  often  take 
some  passage  sure  to  come  up  in  the  International 
Lessons,  such  as  Psalm  i,  Isaiah  53,  Proverbs  3, 
'75 


Sunday-School  Success 

Matthew  5,  Luke  2,  John  14,  Acts  9,  Romans  12, 
i  Corinthians  13,  Hebrew  1 1 ,  James  3.  Delve  into  the 
passage,  meditate  long  over  it,  and  see  how  many 
pictures  you  can  get  out  of  it. 

Of  the  greatest  assistance  will  be  a  book,— indexed 
as  to  texts,  and  also  as  to  subjects,  such  as  "  temper- 
ance," "missionary,"  "resurrection,"  "courage," — in 
which  you  will  preserve  every  drawing  you  make,  and 
all  the  most  suggestive  blackboard  hints  you  clip  from 
the  teachers'  magazines,  together  with  simple  outlines 
of  all  sorts  of  common  subjects.  These  last  will  be 
particularly  useful.  There  will  be  a  ladder,  an  anvil, 
a  horse,  a  lily,  a  broom,  a  fountain,— anything  likely 
to  be  of  use  for  a  symbol.  You  will  clip  these  from 
advertisements,  catalogues,  the  illustrated  papers  and 
magazines,  and  you  will  find  your  collection  useful  in 
many  ways. 

I  have  spoken  as  if  the  teacher  should  do  all  the 
blackboard  work.  On  the  contrary,  he  should  do 
none  that  he  can  get  his  scholars  to  do  for  him.  No 
matter  if  they  do  not  do  it  as  well  as  he.  Get  them 
to  practise  beforehand.  Let  them  begin  with  only 
the  simplest  work ;  they  will  soon  astonish  you  with 
their  proficiency.  And  the  class  will  take  far  more 
interest  in  a  poor  drawing  by  one  of  their  own  num- 
ber than  in  a  good  drawing  by  you. 

Yes,  and  even  when  you  preside  at  the  blackboard 

yourself,  give  the  class  pencils  and  paper  occasionally, 

and  let  them  copy  what  you  draw.     Their  attention 

will  be  assuredly  fixed,  and  an  ineffaceable  impres- 

176 


Through  Eye-Gate 

sion  made  on  their  memory.  The  drawings  they 
complete,  however  crude,  they  will  be  glad  to  carry 
home  to  show  their  parents,  and  treasure  as  souvenirs 
of  the  lesson,  or  keep,  if  you  choose,  against  the 
coming  review  day.  If  you  use  this  method,  you  will 
soon  come  to  cherish  a  deeper  liking  for  that  prime 
pedagogical  virtue,  simplicity. 

For  a  final  word :  Take  pains  that  your  word-pic- 
tures keep  pace  with  your  chalk.  Don't  ask  your 
class  what  you  have  drawn— that  might  lead  to  em- 
barrassing results!  Tell  them.  Put  in  all  sorts  of 
graphic  little  touches,  even  though  you  cannot  draw 
a  tenth  of  what  you  are  talking  about.  The  man  on 
the  Jericho  road — how  full  of  fear  he  was  as  he 
walked;  how  he  whistled  to  keep  up  his  courage; 
how  one  robber  peeped  from  behind  a  rock,  and  an- 
other whispered,  "He's  coming!"  how  they  sprang 
out,  and  he  ran,  and  a  third  rascal  sprang  out  in  front 
and  knocked  him  down ;  how  he  shouted,  "  Help ! 
Thieves!  Help!"  and  how  only  the  echo  answered 
him  in  that  lonely  place— all  this  must  have  hap- 
pened many  a  time  on  that  Jericho  road,  and  you 
have  a  perfect  right  to  stimulate  with  such  natural 
and  inevitable  details  the  imagination  of  the  children. 

That  is  what  they  are  for— both  our  word-picturing 
and  our  chalk-picturing:  not  to  exhibit  our  nimble- 
ness  of  wit  or  of  finger,  but  to  quicken  the  minds  of 
the  children,— that  alone,— and  make  them  more 
eager  in  the  pursuit  of  truth. 


177 


Chapter  XXXI 
Foundation  Work 

THE  work  of  the  primary  department  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  all  Sunday-school  work.  This  does 
not  mean  that  there  is  no  chance  of  a  child's  becom- 
ing a  good  Bible  scholar  and  a  noble  Christian  if  he 
misses  the  primary  training,  but  it  does  mean  that 
without  a  flourishing  primary  department  a  school 
can  scarcely  be  called  successful,  while  with  it  half 
the  success  of  the  school  is  assured.  The  primary 
teacher  molds  the  soft  clay;  her  successor  with  the 
child  must  cut  the  hard  marble. 

Teaching  that  thus  lies  at  the  foundation  must  deal 
with  fundamental  matters,  with  the  greatest  lives  of 
the  Bible,  the  great  outlines  of  history,  the  great  es- 
sentials of  doctrine,  the  root  principles  of  morality. 
Details  are  to  be  filled  in  later.  The  danger  is  that 
the  teacher  will  attempt  to  teach  too  much,  will  ex- 
pect the  little  ones  to  know  about  Hagar  when  it  is 
enough  for  them  to  know  about  Isaac;  or  about 
Jeremiah,  when  Daniel  would  be  sufficient ;  or  about 
178 


Foundation  Work 

the  order  in  which  Paul  wrote  his  letters,  when  it 
might  well  suffice  for  them  to  know  that  Paul  wrote 
them. 

But  though  many  questions  are  too  hard  to  ask,  no 
question  is  too  easy,  and  no  point  is  so  simple  that  in 
these  first  days  you  may  safely  take  it  for  granted. 
Laugh  if  you  please,  but  I  do  not  think  that  even 
these  days  of  sand-maps  and  pricked  cards  have  pro- 
duced a  method  much  more  helpful  for  the  primary 
teacher  than  the  old  questioning  of  my  boyhood, 
over  and  over  repeated :  "  Who  was  the  first  man?  " 
"  Who  was  the  strongest  man?  "  "  Who  was  the  old- 
est man?  "  and  the  like. 

The  primary  teacher's  right-hand  man  is  named 
Drill,— Ernest  Drill.  No  mnemonic  help— that  is  a 
help — is  to  be  despised.  Rhymes  giving  in  order  the 
books  of  the  Bible,  the  Commandments,  Beatitudes, 
list  of  the  twelve  apostles,  may  wisely  be  used.  No 
memory  verse  or  golden  text,  once  learned,  should  be 
allowed  to  lapse  into  that  easy  pit,  a  child's  quick 
forgetfulness.  Better  one  thing  remembered  than  a 
hundred  things  forgotten.  Foundation-stones  are 
few  and  simple,  but  they  must  be  firm. 

Now  the  first  essential,  if  one  would  do  this  foun- 
dation work  successfully,  is  to  get  a  room  to  work  in. 
A  room  that  lets  in  floods  of  sunshine  and  fresh  air. 
A  room  with  pretty  pictures  and  bright  mottoes  on 
the  wall,  with  canary  songs  and  blooming  plants.  A 
room  with  little  chairs,  graded  to  the  scholars'  little 
heights.  A  room  with  a  visitors'  gallery  for  the 
179 


Sunday-School  Success 

mothers.  Or,  if  your  church  was  not  blessed  with  a 
Sunday-school  architect,  then  such  a  room  in  a  house 
next  door  or  across  the  street,  to  which  your  class 
may  withdraw  after  the  opening  exercises.  Or,  if 
your  work  must  be  done  in  the  church,  as  so  much 
primary  work  must  be,  then  a  temporary  room,  shut 
off  by  drawn  curtains,  or  even  by  a  blackboard  and 
a  screen,  is  far  better  than  the  distractions  of  the 
open  school. 

The  blackboard  just  mentioned,  at  any  rate,  the 
room  should  contain ;  the  shrewd  use  of  it  will  create 
an  intense  interest  that  will  almost  cause  oblivion  of 
the  most  distracting  surroundings.  A  padded  board 
gives  the  best  effects, — such  a  board  as  you  yourself 
may  easily  and  cheaply  make  with  a  pine  backing,  a 
few  layers  of  cheap  soft  cloth,  and  a  covering  of 
blackboard  cloth  nailed  firmly  over  all.  In  the  chap- 
ter on  blackboard  work  I  have  tried  to  show  how 
easily  possible,  and  at  the  same  time  how  valuable,  is 
the  use  of  the  blackboard.  If  the  children  are  too 
small  to  read,  they  may  at  least  know  their  letters, 
and  recognize  S  for  Saul  and  P  for  Peter,  and  a  cross 
for  Christ,  while  the  immense  resources  of  simple 
drawings  are  always  open  to  you. 

The  primary  teacher  is  fortunate,  nowadays,  in 
being  able  to  buy,  at  slight  cost,  series  of  pictures  il- 
lustrating each  quarter's  lessons.  These  pictures  are 
either  colored  brightly  or  simple  black  and  white,  and 
vary  in  size  from  four  or  five  square  feet  to  the  little 
engravings  in  the  Sunday-school  paper.  Whatever 
180 


Foundation  Work 

picture  is  used  should  be  hidden  until  it  is  time  to 
exhibit  it,  and  produced  with  a  pretty  show  of  mys- 
tery and  triumph.  Some  teachers  hang  these  pictures, 
after  use,  in  a  "  picture-gallery,"  where  the  children 
may  become  familiar  with  them,  and  to  this  gallery 
they  may  be  sent  for  frequent  reference  against  the 
coming  review  day. 

After  all,  the  primary  teacher's  chief  reliance  for 
purposes  of  illustration  must  be  natural  objects.  In 
this  reliance  we  merely  imitate  the  example  of  the 
great  Teacher.  The  objects  to  be  used  will  most 
often  be  suggested  by  the  lesson  text  itself.  A  lily, 
a  vine,  seed,  leaven,  a  door,  a  sickle,  a  cake,  a  cup, 
grass, — are  not  each  of  these  objects  at  once  associ- 
ated in  your  mind  with  passages  of  Scripture?  Hunt 
out  the  suggested  objects,  and  simply  hold  them  be- 
fore the  children  as  you  talk  about  the  lesson,  and 
you  will  find  them  a  wonderful  assistance. 

A  more  difficult  process  is  to  discover  illustrative 
objects  when  none  are  directly  suggested  in  the  text 
In  a  temperance  lesson,  for  instance,  there  may  be  no 
mention  of  the  wine-cup,  yet  you  will  bring  a  glass, 
fill  it  with  wine-colored  water,  and  place  in  it  slips  of 
paper  cut  to  resemble  snakes.  On  each  is  written 
some  fearful  result  of  drinking  alcoholic  liquors ;  and 
after  the  children  have  drawn  forth,  with  pincers,  one 
after  the  other,  and  read  what  is  written  upon  it,  they 
will  not  soon  forget  how  many  evils  come  out  of  the 
wine-cup. 

You  may  be  talking  about  the  imprisonment  of 
181 


Sunday-School  Success 

John  the  Baptist.  Produce  a  pasteboard  chain, 
painted  black  on  one  side.  Each  link  tells  in  red 
letters  one  of  the  horrors  of  his  imprisonment, — loneli- 
ness, fear,  despair,  and  the  like.  Turn  over  the  chain 
and  show  the  underside  gilded,  the  links  reading, 
"  More  faith,"  "  Near  to  God,"  "  God's  favor,"  "  Cour- 
age," "  Eternal  reward."  There  was  a  bright  side, 
after  all. 

You  are  on  the  stumbling-block  lesson,  and  you 
bring  in  some  awkward,  rough  wooden  blocks,  on 
which  you  tack  labels  as  the  lesson  proceeds:  "A 
spiteful  temper,"  "A  gossiping  tongue,"  "Envy," 
"  Suspicion,"  "Swearing,"  "Treating  to  strong  drink," 
"  Playing  marbles  for  '  keeps.'  " 

You  are  teaching  about  the  paralytic  let  down 
through  the  roof.  It  has  not  required  many  minutes, 
with  pasteboard,  scissors,  and  glue,  to  construct  a 
dainty  little  model  of  an  old-time  Jewish  house,  out- 
side stairs,  inner  court,  overhanging  court  roof,  and 
all.  And  how  the  little  model  illuminates  the  story ! 
The  jail  in  which  Peter  was  imprisoned,  the  table 
around  which  the  Last  Supper  was  celebrated,  the 
Tabernacle,  the  Temple, — from  the  many  excellent 
pictures  and  descriptions  obtainable,  even  quite  am- 
bitious models  are  possible  of  manufacture.  And 
once  made,  they  are  aids  and  joys  forever. 

The  sand-map  has  become  justly  popular.     It  is 

easily  formed,  requiring  only  a  shallow  tray,  some 

sharp,  clean  sand,  pieces  of  looking-glass  for  lakes 

and  seas,  blue  yarn  for  rivers,  some  rocks  for  moun- 

182 


Foundation  Work 

tains,  wooden  blocks  for  houses,  dried  moss  for  trees, 
little  toy  men,  boats,  horses,  and  such  readily  found 
apparatus. 

In  turn  you  can  build  up,  with  its  accommodating 
materials,  the  Sea  of  Galilee  and  the  scene  of  the 
feeding  of  the  five  thousand,  all  Palestine  with  the 
courses  of  Christ's  journeys,  Asia  Minor  and  Mace- 
donia with  the  route  of  Paul  on  his  second  great 
missionary  journey.  Much  of  this  the  children  them- 
selves will  help  you  prepare,  and  will  learn  a  great 
deal  by  so  doing.  Indeed,  the  wise  teacher  will  do 
as  little  as  possible  herself  even  in  getting  ready  to 
teach,  and  will  make  her  scholars  themselves  her  as- 
sistant teachers. 

That  is  one  of  the  beauties  of  such  kindergarten 
devices  as  pricking  paper  and  weaving  bright  yarn 
back  and  forth  to  fill  up  the  picture  outlined  by  the 
holes.  It  is  the  scholars'  work,  and  not  your  own, 
and  they  do  not  forget  their  own  work.  Simple  de- 
signs illustrating  the  lessons  can  thus  be  pricked  into 
the  children's  memories  at  the  point  of  a  pin. 

It  is  best  not  to  confuse  the  class  with  a  multi- 
plicity of  objects,  but  to  fix  on  a  single  symbol  for 
each  lesson,  that  will  stand  distinctly  for  the  lesson  in 
the  weekly  and  quarterly  reviews.  The  kind  of  ob- 
ject should  constantly  vary.  If  this  week  it  is  cut 
out  of  pasteboard,  next  week  let  it  be  modeled  in 
clay,  and  the  following  week  let  it  be  a  picture  in 
black  and  white.  The  simpler,  the  better :  a  cup  for 
the  lesson  at  Sychar ;  a  dried  leaf  for  the  parable  of 
183 


Sunday-School  Success 

the  fig-tree ;  a  square  of  white  cloth  for  Peter's  vision 
on  the  housetop.  Do  not  produce  the  object  till  you 
want  it  in  your  teaching,  or  the  children's  interest 
will  be  dissipated  before  you  have  need  of  it.  Get  a 
little  cabinet  in  which  to  store  all  your  teaching  ap- 
paratus. Do  not  keep  the  object  in  sight  after  you 
are  through  with  it,  or  you  will  lose  attention  from 
your  next  point.  Remember,  in  all  object-teaching, 
how  inferior  is  any  symbol  to  the  truth  symbolized, — 
its  shadow  only,  a  mere  hint  of  it,— and  learn  to  drop 
the  interest-exciting  object  and  use  the  interest  for  the 
truth  you  want  to  teach. 

In  this  branch  of  your  work  a  knowledge  of  com- 
mon science  will  prove  invaluable.  Botany  and  geol- 
ogy, chemistry,  zoology,  and  astronomy  open  one's 
eyes  to  the  beauties  and  marvels  of  God's  handiwork, 
and  disclose  analogies  abounding  and  true.  There 
is  much  also  to  learn  from  the  books  of  models, — 
models  for  suggestion,  of  course,  and  not  for  slavish 
imitation,— such  as  Tyndall's  "Object-lessons  for 
Children,"  Roads'  "  Little  Children  in  the  Church 
of  Christ,"  and  Stall's  "  Five-minute  Object-sermons 
to  Children,"  or  his  "  Talks  to  the  King's  Children." 

The  most  valuable  "objects"  are  the  children 
themselves,  when  you  can  carry  out  an  illustration 
with  their  own  active  bodies.  For  instance,  in  teach- 
ing the  lesson  on  the  first  council  at  Jerusalem,  arrange 
the  chairs  in  two  groups,  distant  as  far  as  possible 
from  each  other.  One  is  Antioch,  the  other  is  Jeru- 
salem. Two  picked  scholars,  Paul  and  Barnabas,  set 
184 


Foundation  Work 

out  from  the  Antioch  corner  toward  Jerusalem  corner. 
Some  of  their  comrades  accompany  them  part  way. 
The  scholars  at  the  other  side  of  the  room  receive 
them  with  interest.  Paul  and  Barnabas— or  the 
teacher  for  them — tell  their  story.  A  Pharisee  rises, 
and  the  teacher  puts  words  in  his  mouth.  Peter  rises 
and  tells  about  Cornelius.  James,  the  most  dignified 
boy  present,  gives  his  decision.  Judas  and  Silas  are 
selected  to  escort  Paul  and  Barnabas  back  again, 
bearing  a  letter. 

The  visit  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba,  the  taking  of 
Joseph  to  Egypt,  Paul's  vision  in  Troas  and  passage 
to  Macedonia,  the  parallel  history  of  the  northern  and 
southern  kingdoms,— indeed,  countless  events,— may 
be  illustrated  in  this  way.  The  only  danger  is  that 
the  whole  may  seem  too  much  like  play;  but  this 
danger  is  easily  avoided  by  an  earnest  teacher,  and 
the  gains  in  interest  and  remembrance  will  prove  rich 
justification. 

An  illustration  still  simpler,  and  very  effective,  may 
be  obtained  from  the  children  merely  by  the  motion 
of  their  hands.  "Went  down  from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho  " — all  hands  raised  high  and  rapidly  lowered. 
"And  great  was  the  fall  thereof" — the  same  move- 
ment. "The  Queen  of  Sheba  wondered" — hands 
raised  in  astonishment.  "  A  sower  went  out  to  sow  " 
— hands  sweep  to  the  right  and  left.  These  concert 
movements  not  merely  fix  the  attention  of  the  class, 
but  serve  as  outlet  to  their  restlessness.  Some  teach- 
ers advise  a  halt  midway  in  the  lesson  for  the  intro- 
185 


Sunday-School  Success 

duction  of  some  light  gymnastics  to  rest  the  class. 
That  is  well ;  but  if  the  same  result  can  be  gained  in 
immediate  connection  with  the  lesson,  so  much  the 
better. 

After  all  has  been  said,  however,  the  primary  teach- 
er's great  art  is  the  art  of  story-telling.  Learn  to 
start  right  in.  Preliminary  preachment  will  spoil  it 
all.  Use  short  and  simple  words.  Keep  clear  and 
distinct  the  order  of  events,  and  do  not  confuse  the 
children  by  going  back  to  take  up  omitted  points. 
Nevertheless,— and  this  is  not  a  contradiction,— re- 
peat and  repeat  and  repeat,  telling  each  section  of  the 
story  over  and  over,  in  different  ways  and  with  ever- 
fresh  particulars,  till  the  children's  slippery  memories 
have  laid  hold  upon  it. 

Introduce  a  myriad  natural  details,  for  which  you 
must  draw  on  a  consecrated  imagination.  You 
should  hear  Mr.  Moody  tell  a  Bible  story!  It  is  not 
enough  to  say  that  Abraham  determined  to  offer  up 
Isaac  as  a  sacrifice.  The  great,  loving  soul  of  the 
evangelist  has  brooded  too  long  over  the  Bible  for  a 
statement  so  cold  as  that.  He  must  tell  about  the 
patriarch's  sleepless  nights ;  about  his  getting  up  and 
going  over  to  the  bed  of  the  boy  so  peacefully  sleep- 
ing; about  his  weeping  when  no  one  was  watching 
him  ;  how  he  couldn't  eat  his  breakfast ;  how  his  heart 
beat  whenever  he  looked  at  the  lad.  And  long  before 
Mr.  Moody  is  through,  the  great  sacrifice  is  so  vivid 
to  him  and  to  us  that  we  all  weep  together,  and  no 
moralizing  is  needed. 

186 


Foundation  Work 

You  are  not  Moodys?  No;  but  hundreds  of  pri- 
mary teachers  are  doing  just  this  work,  telling  to 
their  children  the  Bible  stories  as  they  must  have 
happened,  reading  with  the  heart  and  telling  them  to 
the  life.  Long  meditation  is  needed,  persistent 
"  putting  yourself  in  his  place,"  and  it  is  even  well  to 
write  out  the  story  in  full  before  you  attempt  to  tell 
it.  When  you  receive  the  reward,  you  will  count  the 
trouble  as  nothing. 

Music  is  a  great  aid  in  the  primary  room.  If  you 
cannot  afford  a  piano,  learn  how  cheap  are  the  "  baby 
organs,"  and  how  effectively  they  will  lead  the  chil- 
dren's singing.  Even  though  you  work  in  an  extem- 
porized class-room,  shut  off  by  screens  or  a  curtain 
from  the  rest  of  the  school,  you  can  at  least  use 
"  whisper  songs."  Yes,  and  these  whisper  songs  may 
often  be  motion  songs,  and  serve  to  illustrate  the  les- 
son. 

At  least  one  song  of  the  hour  should  bear  directly 
on  the  central  thought  of  the  hour,  and  before  it  is 
sung  you  should  explain  why  you  call  for  it.  Most 
of  the  best  songs  for  this  purpose  will  prove  to  be 
standard  hymns,  and  there  is  every  reason  why  the 
simplest  of  these  should  be  taught  to  the  children, 
that  they  may  find  as  many  points  of  contact  as  pos- 
sible with  the  services  of  the  older  church.  The  aid 
of  the  parents  may  well  be  invoked  to  teach  these 
hymns  at  home  to  the  children,— a  helpful  task,  for 
more  than  the  children's  sake,  at  which  to  set  the 
parents. 

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Sunday-School  Success 

The  primary  song-books  contain  bright  little  hymns 
appropriate  to  introduce  prayer,  to  open  and  close 
the  school,  to  be  sung  before  Bible-reading  and  while 
the  collection  is  taken.  A  clear-voiced  assistant,  sit- 
ting and  singing  among  the  children,  will  train  them 
insensibly,  and  draw  their  childish  voices  into  harmony 
with  her  own.  Just  as  the  children  will  enjoy  a  class 
name,  motto,  colors,  so  they  will  be  delighted  to 
select  a  class  song;  and  this  device  may  be  tried, 
together  with  many  others  mentioned  in  the  chapter 
on  "  A  Singing  Sunday-school." 

Our  foundation  work  will  surely  fall  if  it  is  not 
itself  founded  firmly  on  the  Bible.  Be  sure  that  each 
scholar  has  his  own  Bible — and  a  large -type  copy. 
Why  is  it  that  the  smaller  the  child,  the  tinier  the  type? 
It  is  not  so  with  the  children's  other  books.  How 
can  we  expect  them  to  take  any  interest  in  pages  that 
look  so  black  and  uninteresting,  and  that,  more- 
over, would  ruin  their  eyes  for  life  if  they  did  read 
them? 

The  Bible  must  not  be  so  expensive  that  it  cannot 
be  marked  freely.  The  children  will  learn  much  by 
this  exercise.  A  little  set  of  colored  pencils  may  be 
given  to  each  child,  for  class  use  only.  The  golden 
texts  and  other  verses,  and  the  places  where  the  lesson 
story  may  be  read,  should  all  be  marked  with  pencils 
of  appropriate  symbolic  color.  The  children  can 
easily  find  the  place,  and  the  folks  at  home  will  know 
just  what  passages  to  read  to  the  children  and  to  help 
them  learn. 

1 88 


Foundation  Work 

Make  much  of  memory  verses.  We  are  filling  the 
little  heads  nowadays  far  more  with  sand-map  puppets 
and  blackboard  rebuses  than  with  the  Word  of  God. 
Drill  often  and  thoroughly  on  these  verses.  Prepare 
a  Bible  roll  by  fastening  a  long  strip  of  manilla  paper 
on  a  spring  window-shade  roller.  Let  the  lower  line 
contain  a  few  initial  letters  hinting  at  the  memory 
verse  concealed  just  above  it.  After  recitation,  pull 
this  down  for  the  scholars  to  compare ;  and  so  proceed 
through  the  roll.  An  alphabet  of  Bible  verses  may 
thus  be  learned,  or  an  alphabet  of  Bible  men  and 
women. 

One  point  needs  especial  emphasis.  No  matter 
how  thoroughly  you  have  told  the  story,  or  how  fas- 
cinated the  children  have  been  held  by  your  recital, 
never  consider  the  hour  well  spent  till  you  have  read 
from  the  Bible  itself  the  story  you  have  been  telling. 
The  more  delightful  and  satisfactory  your  own  ac- 
count has  been,  the  more  necessary  is  it  to  show  the 
children  that  within  the  covers  of  the  Book  are  to  be 
found  all  these  beautiful  stories. 

Part  of  your  foundation  work  is  certainly  to  teach  the 
children  to  pray.  There  are  many  appropriate  prayer 
poems,  such  as,  for  the  beginning  of  the  lesson : 

"  A  prayer  we  lift  to  thee,  dear  Lord, 
Ere  we  shall  listen  to  thy  word. 
The  truth  thy  Spirit  brings  from  thee 
Help  us  to  study  patiently. 

For  Jesus'  sake.     Amen." 

Or  this,  for  the  close  of  the  lesson : 
189 


Sunday-School  Success 

"  Our  Father,  through  each  coming  day 

Watch  o'er  our  every  step,  we  pray ; 

And  may  thy  Spirit  hide  the  word 

Deep  in  our  willing  hearts,  O  Lord. 

For  Jesus' sake.     Amen." 

These  the  class  may  be  taught  to  repeat  in  concert, 
with  bowed  heads. 

One  of  the  best  methods  is  this.  Let  the  teacher 
offer  a  simple  prayer,  sentence  by  sentence  or  clause 
by  clause,  the  children  reverently  repeating  it  after 
her,  all  heads  being  bowed.  Best  of  all,  of  course, 
are  the  Bible  prayers,  the  prayer  psalms,  and  the 
many  noble  prayer  verses  scattered  here  and  there. 
Store  the  children's  memories  with  these,  and  in  com- 
ing years  there  will  be  no  stammering  or  hesitancy 
when,  in  public  or  in  private,  they  talk  with  their 
Father  in  heaven. 

One  of  the  primary  teacher's  chief  allies  is  a  happy 
temper.  If  you  have  it  not,  get  it.  An  ounce  of 
sunshine  is  better  than  an  iron  mountain  of  scolding. 
The  voice  alone  may  make  or  mar  the  lesson.  Is  it 
good-cheery,  or  goody-goody?  How  joyous  Christ 
must  have  been!  How  his  little  children  love  fun! 
And  how  much  easier  it  will  be  for  you  to  get  them 
to  love  him  if  you  also  love  fun ! 

Indeed,  we  cannot  know  too  thoroughly  the  child 
nature.  The  scientists'  study  of  it  is  in  its  infancy, 
but  a  sympathetic  heart  will  carry  you  farther  in  ten 
minutes  than  all  their  psychology  in  a  lifetime.  As 
you  teach,  have  in  mind,  not  your  trials,  joys,  and 
190 


Foundation  Work 

hopes,  but  theirs.  Don't  talk  about  "  ambition,"  but 
about  "getting  more  praise  than  another  girl";  or 
about  " covetousness,"  but  about  "wishing  you,  and 
not  Tom,  had  his  new  bicycle."  Don't  allegorize ; 
that  is  a  grown-up  delight.  Don't  talk  about  "the 
hill  Difficulty,"  "  the  bog  of  Despond."  Do  you  tell 
me  the  children  enjoy  "  The  Pilgrim's  Progress "  ? 
Yes ;  but  not  as  allegory.  Vanity  Fair  is  a  real  town 
to  them,  and  Mr.  Pliable  a  real  man.  Avoid  what 
I  call  "  fanciful "  teaching,  and  the  rather  build  your 
lessons  upon  actual  men  and  women,  so  that  the 
children  may  come  to  know  Eli  and  Gideon,  Ruth 
and  Martha,  as  vividly  as  they  know  the  men  and 
women  around  them.  That  is  better  than  to  know 
Lily  Lazy  and  Matt  Mischievous  and  the  Sea  of 
Sorrow. 

Review  often.  When  you  have  reached  the  point 
where  you  think  the  children  cannot  possibly  forget, 
then— review  again!  Frequently  say,  "Now,  after 
I  have  finished  telling  about  the  lesson,  I  am  going  to 
ask  Fred  to  tell  me  about  it ;  and  after  Fred  is  through, 
I  shall  ask  some  one  else  to  tell  the  same  story." 
Often  ask  questions  that  can  be  answered  in  concert, 
and  insist  that  all  shall  join  in  the  reply.  This  will 
usually  lead  to  a  repetition  that  will  prove  helpful. 
In  such  concert  work,  if  you  do  not  watch,  the  more 
forward  will  be  the  only  ones  that  will  respond,  and 
you  will  be  obliged  to  draw  out  the  timid  and  repress 
the  pert  by  many  a  special  question  addressed  to  the 
former. 

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Sunday-School  Success 

Sometimes  it  is  hard  to  keep  order ;  always  hard,  if 
the  teacher  has  not  by  nature  or  attainment  the  face 
and  voice  and  bearing  that  command  order  because 
they  lovingly  and  firmly  expect  it.  The  teacher 
should  be  in  the  room  before  any  scholar  arrives. 
Much  disorder  has  its  source  in  those  irresponsible 
ten  minutes  before  the  school  opens.  Then,  while 
she  is  teaching,  an  assistant  should  sit  with  the  chil- 
dren, ready  to  check  their  mischievousness,  attend 
quickly  to  their  needs  and  desires,  care  for  the  late 
comers,  help  them  "  find  the  place "  in  Bibles  and 
song-books,  and  perform  many  other  little  offices. 
Some  heads  of  large  primary  departments  establish 
"  hospitals,"  where  are  sent  the  children  with  "  sick  " 
hands  or  feet  or  tongues,— a  special  class  where  the 
most  uncontrollable  are  "  treated  "  till  they  are  reported 
"  cured."  In  general,  however,  if  the  children  are 
interested,  they  will  be  orderly ;  and  if  the  teacher  is 
interested,  so  are  likely  to  be  the  scholars.  Put  into 
the  work  your  whole  soul,  and  you  are  reasonably 
sure  of  getting  the  whole  minds  of  the  children. 

Love  them!  I  cannot  better  sum  up  the  entire 
matter  than  in  those  two  words.  Love  them,  and 
they  will  love  you  and  gladly  obey  you.  Love  them, 
and  you  will  work  hard  for  them,  and  will  not  mind 
the  hardness.  Love  them,  and  your  love  will  teach 
you  how  to  teach  them  wisely.  And  the  God  of  love, 
who  loves  little  children,  will  give  you,  week  by  week, 
the  fullness  of  his  joy. 


192 


Chapter  XXXII 
The  Trial  Balance 

SOME  teachers  omit  the  review,  or  pass  over  it  in 
a  perfunctory  way.  This  is  as  if  a  merchant  should 
never  balance  his  books,  or,  taking  a  trial  balance, 
should  be  heedless  of  the  result.  If  we  are  to  pros- 
per in  this  our  Father's  business,  we  must  be  careful 
as  any  merchant  to  discover  just  where  we  stand  with 
our  scholars ;  we  must  test  their  progress  often  and 
thoroughly,  and  never  rest  satisfied  or  let  them  rest 
satisfied  until  they  and  we  are  assured  that  the  balance 
is  comfortably  on  the  right  side  of  the  ledger. 

One  reason  for  the  common  shrinking  from  review 
day  is  because  we  have  not  manfully  met  it  at  the 
very  beginning  of  the  quarter.  It  is  the  preview  that 
gives  success  to  the  review.  When  the  teacher  looks 
carefully  through  the  twelve  lessons  ahead  of  him, 
grasps  the  underlying  thread  that  binds  them  together, 
and  forms  his  plan  for  a  review  at  the  outset,  review 
day  has  lost  all  its  terrors.  Then  every  lesson  be- 
comes part  of  a  consistent  series.  Then  the  weekly 


Sunday-School  Success 

reviews,  which  alone  make  possible  a  successful  quar- 
terly review,  lay  each  a  course  of  a  steadily  rising 
edifice. 

No  clearness  of  knowledge  may  be  expected  unless 
the  teacher  knows  clearly  at  the  start  just  what  it  is 
that  he  expects  the  scholars  to  know ;  and  the  build- 
ing grows  with  double  certainty  if  the  little  workmen 
themselves  are  given  glimpses  of  the  architect's  plans, 
—at  least  of  a  "front  elevation."  " For  these  three 
months,"  the  teacher  may  say,  "we  are  to  study 
Christ's  life  as  Mark  records  it.  My  plan  is  for  you 
to  vote  each  Sunday  on  the  most  important  facts  we 
have  studied, — either  in  the  lesson  text  or  in  the  'in- 
tervening events.'  Sometimes  it  will  be  one  fact ;  it 
will  never  be  more  than  three.  All  together  there 
are  thirty  facts  we  shall  learn,  and  they  will  make  an 
outline  history  of  Christ's  entire  life." 

How  such  a  scheme,  clearly  and  often  stated,  will 
clarify  and  systematize  the  quarter's  work!  Three 
or  four  times  during  the  three  months  the  teacher  will 
propound  brisk  questions  covering  the  points  of  all 
the  previous  lessons  of  the  quarter,  following  this  by 
a  written  test.  Let  him  prepare  for  each  lesson  a 
card,  on  which  he  prints  questions  answerable  by  the 
facts  to  be  learned.  Fastening  twelve  hooks  on  a 
board,  he  hangs  these  cards  on  the  hooks  week  by 
week,  and  uses  them  in  these  reviews  and  in  the  final 
review  of  the  quarter.  If  the  class  is  one  of  little 
tots,  a  symbol  for  each  lesson,  cut  out  of  pasteboard 
or  consisting  of  some  object,  may  be  hung  up  in  place 
194 


The  Trial  Balance 

of  the  card, — such  a  symbol  as  a  needle  stuck  in  a 
piece  of  cloth,  answering  to  the  story  of  Dorcas. 

Some  such  preparation  will  make  thoroughly  suc- 
cessful a  written  examination  on  review  day.  The 
questions  should  be  simple  and  clear,  and  such  as  can 
be  answered  fully  in  a  very  few  words.  They  should 
take  up  only  the  points  on  which  emphasis  has  been 
laid  throughout  the  quarter.  If  the  teacher  presents 
the  plan  in  a  jolly  way,  the  class  will  enter  into  it 
heartily,  as  good  fun. 

For  a  change,  now  and  then  invite  the  scholars  to 
bring  in,  on  review  day,  lists  of  what  each  considers 
the  ten  principal  events  of  the  quarter.  A  compari- 
son is  to  be  made,  and  the  events  that  receive  the 
most  votes  will  constitute  a  model  list.  This  exercise 
in  itself  will  make  a  pretty  good  review. 

An  excellent  review  may  be  based  upon  the  six 
natural  divisions  of  all  lessons, — times,  persons,  places, 
events,  sayings,  teachings.  The  "sayings"  are  the 
short  sentences  best  worth  memorizing.  A  review 
"quiz"  may  take  up  these  six  points  one  after  the 
other,  carrying  each  over  the  entire  range  of  lessons, 
sometimes  chronologically,  but  more  often  at  hap- 
hazard. 

A  more  elaborate  plan  is  to  assign  each  of  these 
categories  to  some  scholar  the  week  before,  telling 
him,  for  instance,  that  you  will  depend  upon  him 
alone  to  fix  the  location  of  all  the  events  in  the  twelve 
lessons.  Carrying  out  the  comparison  indicated  in 
the  title  to  this  chapter,  you  may  do  very  thorough 
195 


Sunday-School  Success 

work  by  getting  each  scholar  to  keep  a  Sunday-school 
ledger.  He  will  open  up  a  page  to  the  account  of 
"  persons,"  another  to  the  account  of  "  events,"  and 
so  on,  and  will  make  weekly  entries  on  each  page. 
The  quarterly  review  will  then  be  indeed  his  trial  bal- 
ance. 

I  am  very  fond  of  a  map  review.  Using  a  large 
outline  map,  sometimes  one  drawn  before  the  class 
on  the  blackboard  by  a  scholar  who  has  practised  the 
feat,  I  call  for  the  first  event  of  the  quarter's  lessons, 
and  one  of  the  class  places  a  figure  i  at  the  scene  of 
the  event ;  thus  with  all  the  events  in  order.  Then, 
reviewing  again,  I  ask,  pointing  to  the  map,  "  What 
was  event  No.  7,  here  at  Sychar?  "  or,  "  Four  events 
at  Jerusalem— what  were  they,  in  order?  " 

Another  good  way  to  use  the  map — a  map,  this 
time,  drawn  in  outline  on  a  large  sheet  of  manilla 
paper — is  to  employ  "stickers,"  bright  bits  of  gummed 
paper,  cut  to  various  shapes.  Blue  stars,  for  instance, 
stuck  here  and  there  over  the  map,  will  indicate  the 
points  where  Abraham  is  found  in  a  series  of  lessons. 
They  may  be  numbered,  or  not.  Gold  stars  may  show 
where  Christ  worked  the  miracles  studied  during  the 
quarter.  All  the  events  in  one  year  of  Christ's  min- 
istry may  be  represented  by  green  stars,  in  another 
year  by  scarlet  stars,  or  purple  stars.  The  method 
branches  out  into  many  fascinating  applications. 

Some  teachers  make  large  use  of  the  golden  texts. 
If  these  have  been  emphasized,  they  may  wisely  be 
introduced  in  the  review.  Write  each  upon  a  card. 
196 


The  Trial  Balance 

If  you  have  artistic  talent,  you  may  make  each  card 
a  thing  of  beauty,  to  be  kept  as  a  souvenir  by  the 
scholar.  These  cards  will  be  distributed  at  random, 
and  each  scholar  will  be  expected  to  answer  the  ques- 
tions, first  of  the  class  and  then  of  the  teacher,  on  the 
lesson  whose  golden  text  he  holds.  I  would  not  urge 
the  recalling  of  lessons  by  titles,  for  the  titles  are  not 
constituent  parts  of  the  lesson ;  but  the  golden  text 
usually  goes  to  the  heart  of  the  matter.  Neither 
would  I  favor  such  a  plan  as  the  one  last  mentioned, 
that  assigns  one  lesson  to  each  scholar,  unless  the 
entire  class  is  drawn  into  active  participation  by  such 
a  questioning  from  the  scholars  as  I  have  indicated. 

A  pleasant  and  profitable  review  for  some  classes 
is  based  on  the  quotable  passages  in  the  quarter's 
Scripture.  These  memorable  sentences  are  written 
on  cards,  which  are  distributed  evenly.  Every  scholar 
is  expected  to  tell  when,  where,  and  by  whom  his 
quotation  was  first  spoken,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
exercise  each  scholar  will  be  called  upon  to  repeat 
all  his  quotations  from  memory.  Then  the  teacher 
will  gather  the  cards,  mix  them  up,  present  the  pile 
now  to  this  scholar  and  now  to  that,  and  ask  him  to 
give  the  facts  about  whatever  quotation  he  may  draw. 
The  success  of  this  method  of  review,  as  of  all  others, 
will  largely  depend  upon  its  previous  announcement, 
the  scholars  having  gone  over  the  quarter's  lessons  at 
home  with  this  coming  test  in  mind. 

The  review  may  sometimes  take  the  form  of  a 
contest;  you  may  call  it  a  "question  tournament." 
197 


Sunday-School  Success 

Appoint  leaders,  and  let  them  choose  sides.  Each 
side  in  turn  has  the  privilege  of  asking  a  question  of 
the  other  side.  The  question  must  be  passed  upon 
as  fair  by  the  teacher.  The  scholars  on  each  side 
take  turns  in  answering,  and  when  the  scholar  whose 
turn  it  is  cannot  answer,  his  entire  company  has  a 
chance.  If  no  one  on  that  side  knows  the  answer, 
the  other  side  gives  the  correct  reply,  and  thereby 
scores  one  point.  The  side  with  the  highest  score 
wins  the  tournament. 

Methods  less  brisk  than  this  employ  pen  and  ink. 
You  may  ask  the  scholars  to  bring  to  the  class  tabu- 
lar outlines  of  the  quarter's  history.  A  little  book, 
connected  with  the  quarter's  study  in  some  way,  may 
be  offered  as  a  reward  for  the  best  outline,  if  the 
teacher  thinks  it  wise ;  some  teachers  would  not.  At 
another  time  ask  each  scholar  to  write  a  five-minute 
essay  on  some  topic  that  will  require  study  of  all  the 
lessons,  the  topics  all  being  different.  These  essays 
are  to  be  read  before  the  class,  and  their  themes 
should  be  as  bright  as  the  teacher  and  her  shrewdest 
friends  can  make  them.  A  variation  of  this  plan  is 
to  propound  to  the  class  a  series  of  questions,  all  re- 
quiring search  through  the  twelve  lessons,  and 
allow  each  scholar  to  choose  a  question  upon  which 
he  will  speak  for  two,  three,  or  four  minutes  before 
the  class  on  review  day. 

Whatever  your  review  gives  or  fails  to  give,  be 
sure  it  leaves  with  your  class  a  clear-cut  outline  or 
summary  of  the  three  months'  study.  Omit  the  con- 


The  Trial  Balance 

sideration  of  lessons  not  closely  connected  with  the 
story,  like  some  of  the  temperance,  Easter,  and 
Christmas  lessons.  Center  upon  some  graphical 
scheme  whenever  possible,  if  it  is  only  a  vertical  line 
divided  into  decades  along  which  events  may  be 
strung,  or  a  circle  so  divided  as  to  represent  Moses' 
life  or  Christ's.  If  you  can,  group  the  lessons  around 
some  great  personality  prominent  in  them.  Never 
fail  to  bind  them  together  with  the  golden  thread  of 
their  relation  to  Christ.  Trace  through  them  the 
progress  of  some  thought  or  event,  such  as  God's 
leadings  that  developed  the  Israelites,  the  growth  of 
the  Christian  church,  the  unfolding  of  Christ's  life,  or 
David's,  or  Joseph's.  Discover  what  unity  the  les- 
sons have,  and  bring  it  out  in  the  review. 

If  these  matters  have  been  discussed  in  the  quar- 
ter's lessons,  set  them  in  fresh  lights.  It  must  be  a 
new  view  as  well  as  a  review. 

If  you  have  succeeded  well  with  one  form  of  re- 
view, thank  God,  and — change  the  form  next  time. 
The  methods  suggested  in  this  chapter  are  not  equally 
valuable  in  all  reviews.  Make  out  a  programme  in 
January  for  the  four  reviews  ahead  of  you,  and  plan 
them  all  differently. 

And  finally,  review  your  reviews.  Review  them 
on  the  review  day,  going  over  the  same  ground  at 
least  twice,  in  varying  mode  ;  and  in  your  weekly  re- 
views thereafter  take  occasion  now  and  then  to  revert 
to  the  work  of  the  preceding  quarter.  A  matter  is 
not  learned  to-day  unless  it  is  learned  for  all  days. 
199 


Sunday-School  Success 

If  the  review  discloses  weak  spots,  strengthen 
them.  If  it  discloses  excellences,  praise  them.  With 
steady  and  honest  purpose,  take  on  review  day  the 
trial  balance  of  your  work,  and  may  God  grant  you 
a  balance  on  the  heavenward  side  of  the  ledger! 


Chapter  XXXIII 
At  the  Helm 

THE  superintendent  of  a  Sunday-school  is  not  the 
steam  of  the  boat,  for  all  true  power  comes  from  the 
Holy  Spirit.  He  does  not  even  tend  the  fires ;  that 
work  the  teachers  must  do.  Neither  does  he  make 
the  chart  by  which  the  boat  is  steered ;  that  is  the 
work  of  the  International  Lesson  Committee.  No ; 
the  superintendent  stands  at  the  helm.  He  takes 
orders  from  the  one  Captain,  and  transmits  them. 
Now  he  turns  a  wheel,  now  he  pulls  a  bell-rope,  now 
he  shouts  through  a  speaking-tube.  In  spite  of  the 
multiplied  details,  his  work  is  simple.  He  has  to 
know  his  ship,  the  waters,  and  the  weather:  that  is, 
he  has  to  know  God,  what  he  wants  him  to  do ;  and 
his  scholars,  what  they  are  capable  of  doing ;  and  his 
teachers,  what  they  are  capable  of  getting  the  schol- 
ars to  do.  Knowing  these  three  things,  he  will  not 
fret  himself  with  attempting  impossibilities,  tasks 
beyond  the  power  of  teachers  and  scholars  and  so 
aside  from  God's  will  for  them,  but  he  will  know  he 

201 


Sunday-School  Success 

has  succeeded  if  his  teachers  work  as  hard  as  they 
can  in  getting  their  scholars  to  work  as  hard  as  they 
can  to  learn  and  do  God's  will. 

The  superintendent's  work  begins  with  himself, 
then  goes  on  to  his  officers,  then  to  his  teachers,  then 
to  his  scholars,  then  to  other  schools. 

First,  looking  to  himself,  he  must  gain  what  some 
one  lays  down  as  the  four  essentials  of  success  in 
Christian  work:  "consecration,  concentration,  tact, 
and  contact."  That  is,  his  whole  soul  must  be  in  his 
work ;  he  must  say,  with  Paul,  "  This  one  thing  I 
do  "  ;  he  must  come  in  touch  with  his  forces,  and  he 
must  know  how  to  handle  them  after  he  touches  them. 

There  are  some  men  that  should  never  be  superin- 
tendents. One  of  these  is  Mr.  Long,  who  has  to  say 
everything  in  four  different  ways,  each  way  being 
Broadway.  Another  is  Mr.  Twitchall,  who  jerks  out 
his  words  between  the  jerks  of  his  nervous  body,  who 
darts  here  and  there  like  the  snapper  of  a  whip,  and 
infects  the  entire  school  with  the  contagion  of  his 
restlessness.  Mr.  Black  is  another,  that  man  of 
gloomy  face  and  sepulchral  voice.  Mr.  Daggart  is 
another,  for  his  tongue  is  dipped  in  the  venom  of  sar- 
casm and  knows  only  to  scold. 

My  favorite  superintendent  is  Mr.  Short,  the  son 
of  Mr.  Bright.  He  has  all  his  father's  good  cheer. 
His  face  is  full  of  a  sunshine  that  doesn't  need  to  be 
put  into  words.  He  is  cordial  even  more  plainly 
than  he  is  spiritual,  but  because  he  is  spiritual.  He 
is  businesslike.  He  is  modest.  He  remembers  that 


At  the  Helm 

he  is  only  one,  and  the  school  two  hundred,  and  he 
divides  time  on  about  that  basis.  He  knows — oh, 
he  knows  the  value  of  five  minutes! 

He  has  the  grit  of  a  bulldog,  this  Superintendent 
Short,  son  of  Mr.  Bright.  When  he  is  sure  he  has 
hold  of  a  good  thing,  he  does  not  dream  of  letting 
go,  any  more  than  those  well-persuaded  jaws.  And 
he  has  the  bulldog's  independence  and  thick  skin,  but 
with  more  than  bulldog  reason ;  for  is  he  not  respon- 
sible to  God  alone?  If  God  says,  "Good!"  what 
matters  the  sneer  of  a  man?  So  he  does  the  best  he 
knows  how,  and  keeps  serene. 

With  all  his  independence  he  is  modest  and  teach- 
able, is  Superintendent  Short,  son  of  Mr.  Bright.  He 
visits  other  Sunday-schools,  and  gets  hints  there. 
He  visits  the  public  schools,  and  gets  many  valuable 
hints  from  their  superintendents.  He  reads  every- 
thing that  has  Sunday-school  methods  in  it,  and  from 
all  this  he  gets  hints.  He  goes  around  asking  every- 
body, "  How  can  I  do  better  work?  How  can  the 
school  be  improved  ?  "  and  he  receives  into  a  teach- 
able mind  the  hints  he  gets.  When  he  has  to  find 
fault,  he  first  praises  what  he  can.  Indeed,  praise — 
for  a  wonder!  — is  his  favorite  form  of  criticism,  and 
a  stimulating  form  it  is. 

Withal,  Superintendent  Short  is  enterprising.  He 
sets  apart  from  his  busy  week  regular  times  for  his 
Sunday-school  work,  and  makes  a  business  of  it.  He 
is  ready  to  spend  money  as  well  as  time.  He  keeps 
a  notebook  crowded  with  new  ideas,  and  carries  them 
203 


Sunday-School  Success 

out  one  after  the  other  in  the  order  of  their  impor- 
tance, as  systematically  as  a  great  general  conducts  a 
campaign.  He  does  not  foolishly  despise  what  is 
old  and  tested,  but  he  knows  how  to  freshen  up  old 
principles  by  new  applications.  He  is  broad-minded, 
too,  with  no  "fads"  or  favoritisms,  keeping  equal 
interest  in  all  departments,  of  school  work.  And  he 
does  not  stop  with  the  mechanics  of  the  Sunday-school. 
All  his  enterprise  sets  before  it  the  one  great  goal  of 
soul-saving. 

Thus  far  the  superintendent  by  himself;  now  a 
word  about  his  relation  to  his  officers.  Just  as  the 
failure  of  a  school  on  the  spiritual  side  is  quite  often 
due  to  lack  of  a  good  teachers'  meeting,  so  a  failure 
on  the  administrative  side  is  probably  due  to  the  lack 
of  a  "cabinet  meeting,"  where  the  superintendent 
consults  with  all  his  officers  and  committees,  and 
where  each  gets  inspiration  and  counsel  from  the 
other.  The  teachers'  meeting  should  be  occupied 
with  entirely  different  matters.  It  cannot  take  the 
place  of  a  gathering  of  the  executive,  and  ought  to 
come  on  a  different  night. 

This  cabinet  meeting  must  be  set  for  a  regular 
time,  and  nothing  short  of  an  earthquake  must  be 
allowed  to  break  it  up.  Every  officer  should  make 
a  report  to  the  cabinet,  and  the  report  should  be  in 
writing.  The  latter  requirement  saves  time,  adds 
dignity,  and  provides  the  meeting  with  definite  state- 
ments as  a  basis  for  discussion. 

A  wise  superintendent  will  utilize  all  his  officers  to 
204 


At  the  Helm 

the  utmost.  He  will  make  the  assistant  superinten- 
dent assist.  The  theory  is  that  the  assistant  shall  be 
able,  in  the  superintendent's  absence,  to  do  everything 
the  superintendent  would  do.  How  can  he  learn, 
except  by  doing  everything,  now  and  then,  when  the 
superintendent  is  present?  Many  a  superintendent 
has  worn  himself  out  doing  five  men's  work  rather 
than  train  four  men  to  help  him.  Elijah  trained 
Elisha  to  be  prophet  in  his  stead.  If  he  had  not 
done  so,  I  hardly  think  Elijah  would  have  been  car- 
ried to  heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire.  Every  worker 
should  prepare  his  successor,  should  make  himself 
unnecessary. 

Let  it  be  the  superintendent's  ambition,  then,  to 
create  an  automatic  Sunday-school,  one  he  can  leave 
to  run  itself.  He  must  keep  himself  in  the  back- 
ground. He  must  test  the  matter  by  occasional  ab- 
sences, on  foray  for  ideas  in  other  schools.  He  must 
do  as  little  as  possible  himself,— no  danger  but  it  will 
be  enough!  — and  he  must  get  as  much  as  possible 
done  by  others.  So  he  will  create,  not  a  machine, 
but  an  organism. 

In  the  third  place,— the  superintendent  and  the 
teachers.  He  must  individualize  them.  As  Garfield, 
the  young  school-teacher,  was  wont  to  lie  awake 
nights,  tracing  out  on  his  sheet  in  the  dark  a  plan  of 
the  schoolroom,  locating  each  scholar's  desk  and  plan- 
ning for  that  scholar's  growth  as  he  did  so,  thus  the  su- 
perintendent should  consider  separately  and  regularly 
each  teacher's  task  and  abilities,  trials  and  successes, 
305 


Sunday-School  Success 

It  is  his  joyous  work  to  encourage  them,  to  note 
improvement  in  their  scholars,  to  repeat  to  them  the 
kind  words  of  parents,  to  give  them  a  cheer  in  their 
arduous  and  difficult  and,  for  the  time,  thankless 
tasks.  When  a  superintendent  has  praised  discreetly, 
half  his  work  is  done. 

Of  course,  the  superintendent  will  study  his  lesson 
as  thoroughly  as  any  teacher ;  and  this  is  not  by  any 
means  an  unnecessary  remark,  though  some  may 
think  so.  Indeed,  there  are  even  many  occasions 
when  he  may  teach  a  class,  though  usually  he  is  best 
left  free  during  the  lesson  hour  to  greet  the  strangers, 
or,  watching  from  some  central  post  like  a  general  in 
battle,  to  fly  to  the  rescue  of  some  teacher  whose 
class  may  be  getting  mischievous,  restless,  or  care- 
less. 

For  the  superintendent  should  feel  at  perfect  liberty 
to  sit  quietly  down  with  any  class  in  his  school,  and 
should  do  this  so  often  and  easily  that  his  coming 
ceases  to  be  a  disturbance  to  teacher  or  scholars.  If 
the  superintendent  is  not  welcome,  it  will  be  because 
he  does  not  know  how  to  help  unobtrusively,  and  he 
would  better  stay  away. 

The  best  relations  are  not  possible  unless  the  su- 
perintendent visits  the  teachers  in  their  homes,  and 
gets  them  to  come  to  his  for  frequent  private  consul- 
tations or  for  an  occasional  social  hour  all  together. 
The  teachers'  meeting  for  the  study  of  the  lesson  will 
not  take  the  place  of  these  heart-to-heart  talks,  in 
which  sympathy  and  appreciation,  friendly  counsel 
206 


At  the  Helm 

and  united  prayers,  draw  the  teachers  very  close  to 
their  leader. 

In  the  fourth  place,  the  superintendent  must  know 
his  scholars.  If  he  has  time  to  visit  them,  each  visit 
will  count;  but  that  is  in  most  cases  too  much  to 
expect.  Sunday-school  socials  and  picnics  will  give 
him  a  chance  to  push  a  little  further  the  knowledge 
of  them  that  he  will  gain  by  his  visits  to  their  classes ; 
but,  after  all,  his  best  chance  is  in  the  passing  saluta- 
tion on  the  street.  Often  speak  of  the  matter  before 
the  school,  asking  the  scholars  to  greet  you  when 
they  meet  you ;  and  then  hail  every  urchin  you  run 
across  as  if  he  were  your  very  own !  If  you  make  it 
a  habit  to  tarry  for  ten  minutes  after  the  Sunday- 
school  hour  (tired? — never  mind! ),  both  teachers  and 
scholars  will  besiege  you  then,— provided  you  have 
made  yourself  worth  besieging !  That  you  are  to  be 
in  every  way  the  children's  hero  goes  without  saying, 
— the  glorious  big  boy  to  whom  all  the  boys  look  up 
proudly,  the  chivalrous  knight  whose  colors  all  the 
girls  are  glad  to  wear,— it  goes  without  saying,  that 
is,  if  you  deserve  to  be  superintendent  at  all! 

Fifthly  and  finally,  the  superintendent  and  other 
schools.  He  has  been  getting  from  them  all  he  can, 
if  he  is  enterprising;  he  should  give  to  them  all  he 
can.  The  large  cities  have  their  superintendents' 
unions,  composed  of  those  that  hold  now,  or  have 
held,  this  post  of  honor  and  responsibility, — and  few 
associations  are  as  delightful.  Nearly  everywhere, 
Sunday-school  conventions  are  available ;  and  to 
207 


Sunday-School  Success 

these,  as  gathering  up  in  his  own  experience  whatever 
his  school  has  learned  and  accomplished,  the  super- 
intendent should  carry  his  freshest  inspiration  and  his 
wisest  plans.  No  superintendent  can  live — can  be  a 
live  superintendent— to  himself. 

One  thing  should  be  said,  to  close  this  hasty  sketch. 
If  the  superintendent  is  all  this,  or  even  part  of  all 
this,  in  his  personal  motives,  and  in  his  relations  to 
officers,  teachers,  scholars,  and  other  schools,  he  will 
always  be  a  paid  superintendent.  He  may  have  no 
salary ;  on  the  contrary,  he  may  be  decidedly  out  of 
pocket ;  but  the  rewards  of  his  labor  will  be  so  abun- 
dant, so  joyful,  that  not  all  the  silver  and  gold  in  all 
the  mines  of  earth  could  measure  them. 


208 


Chapter  XXXIV 
The  Superintendent's  Chance 

AT  the  opening  of  the  school  the  superintendent 
hasn't  half  a  chance ;  at  the  close  he  has  a  large 
chance— as  large,  in  fact,  as  he  is.  At  the  opening 
the  superintendent  is  merely  a  master  of  ceremonies 
to  usher  in  the  work  as  buoyantly  as  possible ;  at  the 
close  he  is  a  teacher,  the  high  priest  of  all  the  teach- 
ers. His  work  of  introduction  is  important,  but  far 
more  important  is  his  work  of  peroration.  The  last 
five  minutes  furnish  his  chance  to  gather  all  the  teach- 
ings of  the  hour  into  one  point  and  press  it  home. 

i.  It  is  his  chance.  Now  or  never  let  him  be 
original.  Let  him  study  his  talents ;  some  can  work 
best  with  chalk,  some  with  anecdotes,  some  with 
questions,  some  with  exegesis,  some  with  exhortation. 
Let  him  get  up  a  specialty  for  those  five  minutes  and 
burnish  it  till  it  shines.  Whatever  method  he  chooses 
should  be  filled  with  his  personality  and  serve  to  im- 
press his  personality  upon  the  school.  It  is  life  that 
tells  on  life,  and  the  more  of  himself  the  superinten- 
209 


Sunday-School  Success 

dent  puts  into  these  five  minutes  the  more  will  this,  his 
chance,  prove  his  success. 

2.  It  is  his  chance  to  gather  all  the  teachings  of 
the  hour.     Not  that  he  will  try  to  "  cover  the  ground  " 
of  the  entire  lesson.     In  that  case  his  chance  would 
turn  out  his  mischance.     He  will  not  try,  either,  to 
give  something  for  each  class  of  scholars,  for  all  that 
he  gives  must  be  for  all  classes.     Among  all  the 
thoughts  of  all  the  departments,  primary,  intermediate, 
and  senior,  there  is  a  single  golden  thought  like  a 
golden  thread.     These  strands  he  must  seize  and 
weave  them,  in  his  five  minutes,  into  a  golden  cord. 

3.  It  is  his  chance  to  gather  all  the  teachings  of 
the  hour  into  one  point.     Probably  every  teacher  in 
the  school  has  been  trying  to  teach  too  much.     The 
lesson  was  intended  for  a  wedge,  but  they  have  been 
using  the  blunt  end.     Turn  it  around.     Illustrate  the 
matchless  might  of  simplicity.     Do  not  think  that, 
because  the  lesson  was  on  the  envy  of  Joseph's  breth- 
ren, the  theme  of  envy  has  become  hackneyed,  and 
you  must  talk  about  Jacob  and  Reuben  and  the 
Midianites  and  God's  overruling  providence.     If  the 
teachers  have  worked  well,  the  scholars  will  be  eager 
for  further  words  on  envy;   if  they  have  worked 
poorly,  all  the  more  need  of  a  forcible  presentation 
of  the  main  theme. 

4.  It  is  his  chance  to  gather  all  the  teachings  of 
the  hour  into  one  point  and  press  it  home.     His  will 
be  a  lively  school  in  proportion  as  it  influences  life. 
When  the  moral  truths  of  our  lessons  are  fixed  in  the 

210 


The  Superintendent's  Chance 

life,  the  facts  connected  with  them  will  be  fixed  in 
the  mind.  Let  the  superintendent  ask  himself,  for  as 
many  scholars  of  varied  age  and  character  as  he  can, 
"  How  might  this  lesson  change  his  life,  her  life,  for 
the  coming  week— forever  ?  "  Put  the  "  snapper  "  on 
the  hour.  Let  it  be  seen  that  you  expect  definite  re- 
sults in  spirit  and  conduct. 

Some  urge  that  the  superintendent  should  be  mute 
at  the  close  of  the  lesson  hour,  lest  his  words  destroy 
the  effect  of  the  teachers'  exhortations.  To  be  sure, 
he  may  emphasize  what  they  have  not  emphasized, 
though  even  this  danger  is  very  slight  if  the  superin- 
tendent is  careful  to  seize  on  the  lesson's  central 
thought ;  but  if  the  impression  made  by  the  teacher  is 
endangered  by  a  few  earnest  words  from  the  superin- 
tendent, what  will  be  left  of  it  by  the  close  of  the 
conversation  around  the  dinner- table? 

A  closing  word  regarding  the  superintendent's 
questions.  In  no  better  way  than  by  questions  can 
he  win  and  hold  the  school's  attention.  Those  given 
in  the  various  lesson  helps  are  intended  to  be  simply 
suggestive  of  possible  matter  and  manner.  Five 
things  are  essential :  ( i )  that  the  questions  be  simple 
enough  to  be  understood  by  the  youngest;  (2)  that 
they  lead  up  to  a  point  valuable  enough  to  interest 
the  oldest ;  (3)  that  they  can  be  answered  by  a  few 
words,  preferably  by  one;  (4)  that  they  be  presented 
in  a  brisk  and  businesslike  way  5(5)  that  prompt  an- 
swers from  all  parts  of  the  school  together  be  insisted 
on,  the  answer  being  called  for  again  and  again  till 
211 


Sunday-School  Success 

all  have  connected  themselves  with  it.  Half  a  dozen 
such  questions  should  lead  up  skilfully  to  the  main 
lesson  of  the  hour,  which  should  receive  brief  but 
pointed  application  by  anecdote,  blackboard,  or 
exhortation. 

All  this  is  a  high  ideal.  "  To  attain  it  will  require," 
you  say,  "  much  more  than  five  minutes."  You  are 
right,  Brother  Superintendent :  five  minutes  before  the 
school,  but  one  hour  or  even  two  hours  of  prayerful 
preparation  at  home.  However,  it  is  your  chance. 
Do  not  ignobly  lose  it. 


212 


Chapter  XXXV 
The  Sunday-School  and  the  Weather 

A  RAINY  day  is  the  best  test  of  a  Sunday-school, 
and  its  best  opportunity. 

For  the  scholars  it  is  a  sieve,  separating  the  zealous 
workers  from  the  careless  ones. 

For  the  general  school  it  is  an  index,  since  if  Christ 
is  not  "in  the  midst"  of  the  few  on  rainy  days, 
surely  the  many  on  sunny  days  are  not  wont  to  gather 
"  in  his  name." 

For  the  teacher  it  is  a  revealing  question :  "  Do 
you  teach  for  the  excitement  and  praise  of  crowded 
benches,  or  is  a  single  soul,  with  its  issues  of  life  and 
death,  inspiration  enough?  " 

It  is  the  superintendent's  chance,  because  then  he 
learns  his  staff,  the  pick,  the  enthusiastic  nucleus,  of 
his  school.  It  is  a  good  day  for  "setting  balls  to 
rolling." 

It  is  the  scholar's  chance,— his  chance  to  show 
appreciation  of  the  school  by  attendance ;  his  chance 
for  help  on  questions  that  try  his  soul. 
213 


Sunday-School  Success 

It  is  the  teacher's  chance.  He  will  never  draw 
close  to  his  scholars  if  not  now;  never  see  their 
nobility  or  their  faults  if  not  through  the  troubled  lens 
of  a  rainy  day. 

It  is  the  opportunity  of  the  general  school.  Prayer- 
meeting  workers  often  observe  that  the  meetings 
held  on  stormy  evenings  are  always  the  best,  because 
every  attendant  feels  it  his  duty  to  take  active  part. 
For  the  same  reason  a  rainy  day  brings  out  the  met- 
tle of  a  Sunday-school.  The  bashful  are  impelled  to 
greater  boldness,  the  careless  to  stricter  attention. 
Responsibilities  are  thrown  upon  unwonted  shoulders. 
Many  a  Sunday-school  worker  has  been  developed 
by  rainy  days. 

Teachers  must  do  their  scolding  for  poor  atten- 
dance, if  ever,  on  the  days  of  crowded  seats,  because 
then  only  are  the  truants  present.  Have  nothing  but 
words  of  good  cheer  for  the  few  who  come  on  stormy 
days. 

We  are  often  told  about  preachers  who,  as  a  re- 
ward and  an  incentive,  wisely  preach  their  best  (if 
they  can)  on  rainy  days,  to  the  faithful  few.  For 
such  days  the  teacher  also  must  make  his  highest 
preparation,  because  then  his  work  will  produce  best 
results ;  because  then  he  will  need  to  bring  most  in- 
spiration with  him,  as  he  gets  none  from  well-filled 
seats ;  because  his  scholars  then  not  only  deserve  his 
best,  but,  lacking  the  zest  of  numbers,  need  his  best 
to  hold  their  attention ;  because  they  will  appreciate 
better  what  they  have  come  through  difficulties  to  get. 
214 


The  Sunday-School  and  the  Weather 

On  rainy  days  there  are  many  late  comers,  and 
therefore  many  fine  chances  for  practical  Christianity. 
Greet  them  cheerfully,  if  you  must  stop  your  finest 
exhortation  to  do  it.  Such  a  close  will  be  its  most 
eloquent  period. 

If  you  investigate  tactfully  the  absences  of  rainy 
days,  you  will  often  come  upon  a  truer  knowledge  of 
the  home  life  and  needs  of  your  scholars  than  any 
sunshiny  observations  could  give  you. 

On  rainy  days,  if  ever,  scholars  should  be  sure  of 
finding  their  own  teacher ;  yet,  as  human  nature  is,  on 
rainy  days  there  is  always  necessary  some  fusion  of 
classes.  The  teachers  of  joined  classes  may  do  much 
good  or  infinite  harm.  Criticism,  expressed  or  im- 
plied, of  the  plans  or  precepts  of  the  other  teacher,  is 
a  poison  which  has  few  antidotes.  If  he  has  been 
teaching  false  doctrine,  he,  not  his  scholars,  is  to  be 
told  that  fact.  And,  on  the  contrary,  a  word  of  wise 
praise  for  whatever  of  solid  acquirement  you  may  see 
in  his  scholars,  as  it  comes  from  an  outsider,  will  dis- 
cover marvelously  their  teacher  to  them,  and  their 
possibilities  to  themselves. 

As  we  need  to  emphasize  the  advantages  of  bad 
weather,  so  we  need  to  remember  the  dangers  of  fine 
weather.  Now,  the  teacher  must  be  mindful  not  to 
lose  the  individuals  in  the  crowd,  or  his  teaching 
sense  in  the  temptation  to  harangue.  Now,  the 
superintendent  must  remember  that  his  unifying  and 
organizing  skill  is  especially  needed.  If  rainy  days 
are  best  for  study  and  personal  work,  fair  days,  and, 
215 


Sunday-School  Success 

above  all,  hot  days,  are  best  for  singing  and  concert 
drill  in  reading  and  questioning. 

As  our  days,  so  shall  our  strength  be,  if  we  are 
Christ's,  dear  Sunday-school  workers;  but  different 
kinds  of  days  need  different  kinds  of  strength. 


216 


Chapter  XXXVI 

A  Profitable  Picnic 

A  LARGE  number  of  Sunday-schools  are  in  the  habit 
of  holding  a  picnic  every  summer.  In  spite  of  the 
countless  jests  at  the  expense  of  the  Sunday-school 
picnic,  the  custom  is  in  every  way  commendable. 
Where  can  teacher  and  scholars,  superintendent  and 
teachers,  better  come  into  that  familiar,  every-day 
contact  that  tells  so  much  of  character  and  for  char- 
acter, than  out  under  the  open  sky  and  in  the  merry 
meadows  ?  And  yet  why  is  it  that  the  very  word 
"  picnic  "  makes  most  Sunday-school  teachers  groan, 
and  presents  to  the  superintendent's  mind  a  picture 
no  more  delectable  than  of  hot,  dusty  cars,  pushing, 
quarreling  children,  red-faced  teachers,  and  lunches 
seized  on  by  ants? 

Of  course,  in  moving  so  large  a  body  of  people, 
especially  of  youngsters,  many  untoward  events  are  to 
be  expected ;  but  nevertheless,  when  the  picnic  is  not 
a  conspicuous  success,  there  is  usually  one  reason :  it 
was  not  well  planned  for.  So  many  managers  of 
217 


Sunday-School  Success 

picnics  are  nothing  but  transportation  managers! 
Getting  a  reduction  of  railroad  fare,  packing  and  un- 
packing the  lunches,  filing  the  children  in  and  out  of 
the  cars,— such  details  sum  up  their  plans.  As  for 
entertainment  on  the  picnic  grounds, — why,  turn  the 
children  loose,  and  they  will  take  care  of  that  part 
of  it! 

On  the  contrary,  he  is  a  wise  man  that  can  enter- 
tain himself  well  and  profitably  for  a  day  without  aid 
from  outside.  The  feat  is  impossible  for  most  chil- 
dren. How  well  I  remember  my  own  childish  miser- 
ies on  holidays  because  I  couldn't  think  of  anything 
I  wanted  to  do !  On  the  haphazard  plan  your  picnic 
will  go  uproariously  for  a  time,  but  it  will  soon  "  fray 
out "  into  a  tangle  of  ennui  and  quarrels. 

In  this  brief  chapter,  then,  I  want  to  suggest  merely 
one  out  of  many  schemes  for  a  profitable  picnic. 
It  will  include  in  the  day's  plans  all  ages  and  classes, 
and  afford  pleasure  for  mind  and  spirit  as  well  as 
body. 

In  the  first  place,  arrange  with  great  care  a  pro- 
gramme of  contests.  If  it  is  a  joint  picnic,  some  of 
the  contests  will  be  between  representatives  of  the 
Sunday-schools  that  take  part;  otherwise,  between 
classes  and  individuals  of  the  one  Sunday-school. 
Bring  in  the  girls  as  well  as  the  boys,  and  the  men 
and  women  as  well  as  the  children.  Running,  sack- 
races,  three-legged  races,  pole  and  rope  climbing, 
boat-races,  croquet  and  tennis  matches,  base-ball  (a 
game  among  the  old  men  will  cause  much  amuse- 
218 


A  Profitable  Picnic 

ment),  the  marching  of  competing  companies,  broom 
or  flag  drills  for  the  girls,  leaping,  slow  races  on  the 
bicycle,  throwing  the  hammer,  soap-bubble  contests 
— why,  the  number  of  these  sports  is  legion. 

Just  a  few  hints :  — 

Give  no  prizes,  but  "  honorable  mention." 

Let  the  contests  be  well  planned  and  advertised 
beforehand,  and  set  the  scholars  to  training  for  them. 

Give  every  one  a  printed  programme  (which  may 
be  worked  off  on  a  manifolder),  and  so  arrange  it  that 
the  entire  company,  if  possible,  may  be  spectators  of 
each  contest. 

Make  everything  as  short  and  snappy  as  you  can. 

Throughout  the  programme,  work  in  all  classes  and 
ages  as  best  you  may.  Don't,  for  instance,  put  all 
the  contests  in  which  the  little  ones  engage  in  the 
same  part  of  the  day. 

In  the  second  place,  arrange  a  literary  and  religious 
programme  that  shall  give  a  spiritual  application  to 
all  these  physical  contests.  Organize  a  Sunday-school 
choir,  which,  after  careful  previous  practice,  will  sing 
some  of  the  many  songs  that  treat  the  Christian  life 
as  a  race,  or  a  wrestling,  or  a  battle.  Some  of  the 
Bible  passages  of  similar  tenor  should  be  recited. 
Poems  may  be  repeated  bearing  the  same  lesson. 
And  the  brightest  of  the  scholars  and  teachers,  of 
course  not  omitting  your  pastor,  will  give  some  very 
brief  little  essays  or  talks  along  this  same  line.  This 
part  of  the  day's  programme  may  fitly  be  placed  just 
after  lunch,  when  in  the  heat  of  the  day  the  athletes 
219 


Sunday-School  Success 

will  wish  to  rest,  and  when  all  will  be  ready  to  sit 
down  and  listen. 

Much  will  depend  on  the  master  of  ceremonies  for 
the  day.  Let  him  be  the  jolliest  man  you  can  find, 
but  withal  a  man  of  deep  consecration,  who  can  make 
all  feel  that,  whether  they  eat  or  drink,  or  play  games, 
or  whatever  they  do,  they  must  do  all  for  the  glory 
of  God.  In  this  spirit  alone  can  you  hope  to  have 
a  profitable  picnic. 


220 


Chapter  XXXVII 
A  Singing  Sunday-School 

LIFELESS  singing  means,  usually,  a  dead  Sunday- 
school.  Many  a  superintendent  might  greatly  increase 
the  vigor  of  his  school  by  getting  a  little  snap  into  the 
music.  Different  ways  of  singing  will  not  of  them- 
selves solve  the  problem,  but  they  will  go  far  toward 
it.  Here  are  a  few  methods  which  will  add  to  the 
singing  the  variety  that  is  the  spice  of  it  as  well  as  of 
nearly  everything  else. 

Try  reading  the  song  in  concert  before  it  is  sung. 
It  would  puzzle  most  even  of  us  older  folks  to  tell, 
after  we  have  sung  a  hymn,  what  is  in  it.  Concert 
reading  brings  out  unsuspected  beauties  of  thought, 
and  the  hymn  will  be  sung  afterward  with  fresh  zest 
and  with  fuller  intelligence.  The  superintendent  may 
vary  this  plan  by  reading  the  stanzas  alternately  with 
the  school,  or  the  girls  may  alternate  with  the  boys. 
Occasionally  get  a  single  scholar  to  read  the  hymn 
before  the  school,  or,  what  is  far  better,  to  commit  it 
to  memory  and  recite  it. 

221 


Sunday-School  Success 

Indeed,  memory  hymns,  to  be  committed  to  mem- 
ory by  the  entire  school,  and  sung  without  the  book, 
will  prove  very  popular.  Select  songs  that  are  worth 
learning  for  their  words  as  well  as  for  their  music, — 
a  thing  which,  alas!  cannot  be  said  of  all  our  Sunday- 
school  songs.  One  memory  hymn  a  month  might 
possibly  be  achieved,  and  your  children  will  rapidly 
grow  independent  of  hymn-books,  as  their  grandsires 
were. 

They  may  like  to  vote  upon  a  school  hymn  for  the 
entire  year,  and  learn  it  in  this  way, — one  that  shall 
serve  as  a  sort  of  rallying  song  throughout  the  twelve- 
month. The  various  classes,  too,  may  be  encouraged 
to  select  their  own  class  songs,  and  to  practise  them 
at  their  class  socials.  Then,  once  in  a  while,  the 
entire  school  may  listen  while  one  or  two  classes  sing 
their  class  hymns. 

It  would  do  no  harm,  either,  for  the  superintendent 
occasionally  to  bind  the  children's  interest  to  the 
singing  by  asking  them  to  call  for  their  favorites,  that 
the  school  may  sing  them.  This  privilege  may  be 
granted  to  the  classes  or  scholars  that  have  the  best 
record  in  attendance. 

It  will  add  interest  to  the  singing  if  bits  of  pleasant 
information  are  sometimes  given  about  the  authors  of 
our  familiar  songs.  At  the  opening  of  the  session, 
for  instance,  tell  something  about  the  blind  hymn- 
writer,  Fanny  Crosby,  and  then  let  all  the  songs  sung 
that  day  be  by  her ;  or  tell  a  little  about  Miss  Haver- 
gal's  beautiful  life,  or  give  a  few  bright  anecdotes 


A  Singing  Sunday-School 

about  Dr.  S.  F.  Smith,  and  then  use  nothing  but  their 
hymns.  Some  such  book  as  Hezekiah  Butterworth's 
"Story  of  the  Hymns"  (New  York:  The  American 
Tract  Society.  $1.75),  orDuffield's  "English  Hymns : 
Their  Authors  and  History  "  (New  York:  The  Funk 
&  Wagnalls  Co.  $3),  will  afford  a  plentiful  supply  of 
biographical  material.  Once  in  a  while  get  one  of 
the  scholars  to  read  one  of  these  hymn  anecdotes,  or 
to  tell  it  in  his  own  words. 

Prayer  songs — there  are  many  most  beautiful  ones 
— may  be  used  as  prayers,  all  heads  being  bowed 
while  they  are  sung  softly ;  or  they  may  be  read  in  the 
same  way. 

Antiphonal  songs  are  easily  arranged.  Choose 
two  classes  of  good  singers  in  distant  parts  of  the 
room,  and  let  one  sing  the  verses  and  the  other  the 
chorus  of  some  suitable  song.  A  hymn  arranged  in 
the  form  of  question  and  answer,  such  as  "Watch- 
man, tell  us  of  the  night,"  or  "  Art  thou  weary,  art 
thou  languid  ?  "  is  very  effective  when  sung  in  this 
way,  or  when  read  in  dialogue,  the  superintendent 
taking  the  questions  and  the  school  the  answers. 

Other  dispositions  may  be  made,  for  the  sake  of 
variety.  Get  the  girls  to  sing  the  stanzas,  and  the 
boys  the  choruses,  or  the  girls  to  sing  one  verse,  and 
the  boys  the  next,  all  uniting  on  the  choruses ;  or,  let 
the  school  to  the  right  of  the  center  alternate  in  sing- 
ing with  the  school  to  the  left.  Send  a  company  of 
singers  into  another  room,  with  closed  doors,  and 
have  them  sing  the  chorus  as  an  echo,  very  softly. 
223 


Sunday-School  Success 

Get  the  teachers  to  sing  the  stanzas  of  some  song, 
while  the  whole  school  sings  the  refrain. 

Solos  are  good  once  in  a  while,  especially  if  you 
make  the  school  the  chorus  for  them.  A  quartette 
of  picked  singers  may  be  introduced  very  delightfully 
on  occasion,  especially  if  their  selection  is  germane  to 
the  lesson  topic,  and,  best  of  all,  if  the  quartette  is 
chosen  from  the  scholars  themselves.  The  primary 
department  will  hugely  enjoy  singing  one  of  their 
songs  to  the  main  school,  and  the  older  scholars  will 
enjoy  it  quite  as  heartily. 

Possibly  a  Sunday-school  choir  might  be  organized 
to  advantage,  the  strong  singers  from  among  the  more 
mature  scholars  being  banded  together  to  practice  new 
music  and  lead  the  singing.  School  orchestras  have 
been  very  useful  in  many  churches,  the  boys  being 
proud  to  serve  the  school  with  violin  and  cornet. 

Most  useful,  however,  in  adding  zest  to  the  sing- 
ing, are  the  simple  changes  and  variations  that 
shrewdly  call  attention  to  the  old  by  putting  it  in  a 
new  place,  or  "putting  it"  in  a  new  way.  For  in- 
stance, you  might  call  fresh  attention  to  a  beautiful 
song  by  bidding  all  sing  it  without  their  books,  while 
you  "  line  it  out "  earnestly  and  brightly.  You  might 
preface  a  hymn  with  a  sentence  or  two  telling  why 
you  think  it  just  the  hymn  to  sing  in  connection  with 
the  day's  lesson.  You  might  piece  together  several 
verses  from  different  songs,  and  ask  the  school  to  sing 
them  in  immediate  succession,  without  prelude  or 
interlude,  noting  the  connection  and  progress  of  the 
224 


A  Singing  Sunday-School 

thought.  You  might  stimulate  the  scholars  in  this 
and  that  corner  by  asking  now  one  class  and  now 
another  to  consider  themselves  the  leaders  in  the  song 
next  to  be  sung.  You  might  have  occasional  "  new- 
hymn  "  days,  in  which  will  be  sung  no  song  ever  tried 
by  the  school.  You  might  even  steal  ten  minutes, 
on  very  rare  occasions,  for  song  services,  carefully 
planned  so  as  to  bear  effectively  on  the  lesson  for  the 
day.  The  ways  are  almost  endless  whereby  a  music- 
loving,  child-loving  superintendent  can  introduce  his 
two  loves  to  each  other. 

A  few  more  general  suggestions.  First,  to  the 
organist  or  pianist.  Why  do  you  think  it  necessary 
to  hammer  out  an  entire  piece  of  music  before  you 
let  the  fidgety  children  sing  it?  They  already  know 
every  note  of  it,  and  are  not  interested  in  your  per- 
formance; nor  is  any  one  else.  They  can  find  the 
place  quite  as  quickly  as  you  can.  Except  in  the 
case  of  new  songs,  do  let  us  off  with  the  chord,  and 
we'll  canonize  you  as  a  model  of  self-restraint  and 
good  sense. 

Then  to  the  precentor,  or  whoever  is  responsible 
for  the  time  you  keep.  Why  is  it  so  slow?  I  never 
could  see  why  hymns  should  be  sung  so  drawlingly  as 
to  make  it  quite  impossible  to  grasp  their  thought. 
Time  yourself  in  singing  your  next  hymn,  then  read 
aloud  the  same  hymn,  forcing  yourself  to  occupy  the 
same  time,  and  you  will  see  why  it  is  that  our  singing 
leaves  our  minds  quite  absolute  blanks.  This  griev- 
ous fault  must  be  remedied  with  the  children  if  the 
225 


Sunday-School  Success 

singing  of  hymns  is  ever  to  be,  to  the  average  grown- 
up, an  intellectual  and  spiritual  as  well  as  a  physical 
occupation. 

And,  to  the  same  end,  why  is  it  that  your  school 
can  sing  readily,  even  without  the  book,  the  first  two 
or  three  stanzas  of  so  many  songs,  while  every  stanza 
beyond  is  an  unknown  land  to  them  ?  It  is  because, 
owing  chiefly  to  the  slowness  of  our  ordinary  singing, 
we  seldom  compass  the  whole  of  a  hymn.  At  the 
close  of  a  well-written  hymn  is  the  climax,  the  thought 
up  to  which  the  whole  has  led,  which  binds  it  all  to- 
gether. Our  songs,  if  they  are  to  get  hold  upon  our 
minds  and  lives,  must  be  sung  beyond  their  prelude, 
sung  straight  through. 

To  get  hold  of  minds  and  lives,— that  must  be  the 
end  sought  by  all  our  singing. 


226 


Chapter  XXXVIII 
A  Praying  Sunday-School 

IN  no  way  can  more  Christianity  be  taught  in  less 
time  than  by  a  good  prayer.  A  Sunday-school  that 
is  not  opened  with  the  right  kind  of  prayer  remains 
tight  shut  until  the  teachers  get  hold  of  it,  while  the 
right  kind  of  prayer  at  the  close  of  the  lesson  hour 
rivets  the  lesson  on  the  week  to  come. 

.Yet  I  know  of  no  point  in  Sunday-school  manage- 
ment regarding  which  superintendents  are  more  care- 
less. The  children  must  listen  to  Magellan  prayers 
that  circumnavigate  the  globe ;  to  mechanical  prayers, 
cast  in  stereotyped  forms ;  to  officious  prayers  that 
volunteer  to  teach  the  coming  lesson;  to  peacock 
prayers  that  flaunt  big  words  and  fine  phrases;  to 
wrinkled  prayers,  dealing  with  experiences  into  which 
the  children  will  not  grow  for  three  decades.  In  some 
schools  the  superintendent  always  makes  the  prayer 
himself,  praying  in  the  same  terms  and  tones  and 
order  for  the  same  things.  Elsewhere  the  superin- 
tendent invites  others  to  perform  this  service,  but, 
227 


Sunday-School  Success 

with  pitiless  impartiality,  calls  upon  all  that  will,  heed- 
less whether  they  are  capable  or  totally  unfit  for  the 
difficult  duty. 

For  it  is  not  easy  to  guide  the  devotions  of  these 
varied  ages  and  characters.  The  words  must  be  so 
simple  that  the  youngest  can  understand  them.  The 
thoughts  must  be  so  noble  as  to  furnish  an  uplift  to 
the  oldest.  The  expressions  must  be  direct,  as  in  the 
realized  presence  of  Christ.  The  prayer  must  be 
brief,  and  bright,  and  deeply  in  earnest,  sincere  as  a 
child. 

To  perform  this  task,  therefore,  no  one  should  be 
invited  merely  for  policy's  sake,  merely  because  he  is 
a  visiting  clergyman,  a  church  officer,  or  a  good- 
hearted  layman.  Ask  no  one  that  does  not  know  the 
glorious  language  of  a  child's  prayer.  Give  notice 
beforehand,  since  this  prayer,  if  any,  should  be  thought 
over  and  prayed  over.  And  if  you  fear  the  prayer 
will  lack  a  certain  quality,  shrewdly  incorporate  its 
name  in  your  invitation,  asking  for  a  brief  prayer,  or 
a  simple  prayer,  or  a  prayer  about  few  things. 

I  wonder  that  this  exercise  is  so  seldom  fixed  upon 
the  children's  attention  and  interest  by  their  own  vocal 
participation  in  it.  Indeed,  it  is  not  always  that  the 
school  is  able  to  repeat  the  Lord's  Prayer  together 
with  the  freedom  and  force  born  of  long  custom. 
The  school  may  easily  be  taught  to  chant  the  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  that  may  be  made  most  genuine  praying. 
There  are  many  suitable  short  Bible  prayers  that 
children  might  learn  to  say  together,  such  as  "  Let 
228 


A  Praying  Sunday-School 

the  words  of  my  mouth,  and  the  meditation  of  my 
heart,  be  acceptable  in  thy  sight,  O  Lord,  my  strength 
and  my  redeemer."  Indeed,  there  are  many  prayer 
psalms  that  could  be  learned  entire,  the  concert 
repetition  of  which  would  greatly  enrich  the  Sunday- 
school  hour.  If  yours  is  a  model  school,  every 
scholar  has  his  Bible,  and  Scripture  prayers,  not 
committed  to  memory,  may  be  read  in  concert. 
And,  besides,  what  more  impressive  conclusion  to  the 
session  than  the  "  Mizpah  benediction,"  in  which  all 
voices  join,  or,  perhaps  better,  the  beautiful  benedic- 
tion in  Numbers  6  :  24-26,  "The  Lord  bless  thee, 
and  keep  thee,"  etc.  ? 

Then  there  is  the  hymn-book.  If  it  is  a  good  one, 
it  contains  many  beautiful  prayer  hymns.  Let  the 
scholars  all  bow  their  heads,  and  sing  softly  Miss 
Havergal's  tender  consecration  hymn,  or  "  Nearer, 
my  God,  to  thee,"  and  you  will  find  all  hearts  indeed 
drawn  nearer  heaven.  Occasionally  let  the  school 
read  together  one  of  these  same  hymns,  also  with 
their  heads  bowed. 

And,  by  the  way,— though  it  deserves  more  than  a 
"by  the  way," — insist  on  the  bowing  of  the  head, — 
not  that  the  attitude  is  important  in  itself,  but  the 
reverence  that  the  attitude  arouses  is  of  the  highest 
importance.  Wait  till  all  heads  are  bowed  before 
you  begin  the  prayer  or  permit  another  to  begin  it. 
The  half-minute  of  quiet  or  semi-quiet  needed  to  gain 
this  end  is  not  ill-bestowed.  Moreover,  I  should 
strongly  advise  you  to  go  one  step  farther,  and  once 
229 


Sunday-School  Success 

in  a  while  have  the  entire  school  go  down  on  their 
knees.  This,  the  normal  attitude  of  prayer,  the  chil- 
dren should  be  taught  to  assume  in  public,  at  least  so 
often  that  it  will  not  seem  to  them  forced  or  unnatural. 

Have  you  tried  silent  prayer?  A  blessed  exercise 
it  is,  and  one  the  children  will  love.  Ask  them  to 
bend  their  heads  or  kneel,  and  then  in  perfect  silence 
to  pray  for  their  teachers,  or  their  pastor,  or  their  dear 
ones  at  home,  or  some  sick  scholar.  After  a  minute 
the  superintendent  will  tenderly  add  a  few  closing 
sentences  of  vocal  prayer. 

And  have  you  tried  a  chain  prayer, — a  prayer 
started  by  a  leader,  who  will  also  close  it,  to  which  ten 
or  twenty  of  the  scholars  contribute  sentences  of  praise 
or  petition?  You  will  be  astonished  to  see  how 
many  of  the  scholars  will  join  in  these  prayers, — you 
will  be  astonished,  that  is,  unless  you  are  familiar  with 
the  training  along  this  line  so  nobly  accomplished  in 
our  modern  young  people's  religious  societies. 

Still  another  way  to  obtain  the  scholars'  careful 
heed  to  the  prayer  is  to  establish  a  form  with  which 
the  superintendent  will  always  begin  his  prayer,  and 
which  the  entire  school  will  repeat  with  him.  The 
opening  sentences  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  may  be  used 
for  such  a  purpose.  Then,  at  the  close  of  the  prayer, 
after  "for  Jesus'  sake,"  let  all  the  scholars  say 
"Amen." 

An  occasional  Sunday-school  prayer-meeting,  held 
for  ten  minutes  at  the  close  of  the  lesson  hour,  will 
do  much  to  inspire  in  the  school  a  deeper  spirit  of 
230 


A  Praying  Sunday-School 

worship ;  that  is,  if  the  scholars  themselves  take  part, 
and  not  the  teachers  only.  And  these  Sunday-school 
prayer-meetings  are  magnificent  opportunities  for 
drawing  the  net.  Hold  them  in  a  small  room,  that 
nearness  may  warm  the  coals  of  devotion  to  a  glow. 
Do  not  hold  them  too  frequently  to  be  burdensome. 
Keep  them  brief  and  earnest.  Let  the  teachers  work 
for  them  in  their  classes,  and  use  them  as  tests  for 
their  teaching.  Above  all,  expect  conversions  in 
them,  and,  if  you  are  faithful  and  faith-filled,  you  will 
get  them. 

This  use  of  the  scholar  in  the  devotions  of  the  school 
should  be  extended  to  his  home.  The  superintendent 
may  ask  the  scholars  to  pray  every  day  during  the 
coming  week  for  the  school,  or  for  their  teacher,  or 
for  their  next  lesson,  that  it  may  bring  some  one 
nearer  Christ.  For  several  weeks  there  may  stand  in 
bold  letters  on  the  blackboard  a  list  of  things  that 
should  be  prayed  for  at  home.  The  teacher,  of 
course,  must  enforce  these  recommendations.  If  he 
will  courageously  hold  once  in  a  while  a  little  prayer- 
meeting  with  his  scholars,  in  the  class-room,  about 
the  class-table,  or,  best  of  all,  at  his  own  home  or  at 
one  of  theirs,  he  will  thereby  teach  them  as  much 
Christianity  as  otherwise  he  might  in  a  year. 

Indeed,  the  teacher  has  much  to  do  in  making 
yours  a  praying  Sunday-school.  To  say  nothing 
about  the  teacher's  prayers  for  his  scholars,  which 
will  be  like  steam  to  his  pedagogic  engine,  and  to  say 
nothing  about  the  united  prayers  of  the  teachers  in 
231 


Sunday-School  Success 

the  teachers'  meetings,  the  teacher's  conduct  during 
the  prayer  in  the  school  is  in  itself  half  the  scholars' 
attention,  the  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  scholars 
that  their  teacher  is  praying  for  them  will  spur  their 
home  devotions,  and  the  teacher's  simple,  ready  par- 
ticipation in  the  school  prayers  will  prompt  their  own. 
An  excellent  occasional  method  of  opening  the  school 
is  by  a  succession  of  very  brief — almost  sentence — 
prayers  from  six  or  eight  of  the  teachers.  A  frequent 
topic  for  discussion  in  the  teachers'  meeting  should 
be  how  best  to  inculcate  in  the  school  the  spirit  of  de- 
votion, since  this  great  result  is  to  be  won  only  by  the 
co-operation  of  all  the  working  forces  of  the  school. 
Much  is  gained  in  this  matter  if  you  gain  variety. 
Sometimes  ask  the  older  scholars  themselves,  several 
of  them  in  succession,  to  offer  brief  prayers  at  the 
opening  of  the  school.  Sometimes  let  the  superin- 
tendent's opening  prayer  attract  attention  by  its 
exceeding  brevity, — only  three  or  four  sentences, 
embodying  a  single  petition.  Do  not  place  the 
prayer  always  at  the  same  place  in  the  programme ; 
now  let  it  come  before  the  singing,  now  after;  now 
lay  emphasis  on  the  prayer  introductory  to  the  lesson 
hour,  now  on  the  prayer  that  closes  the  hour  and 
seeks  to  drive  home  its  lessons.  Be  dead  in  earnest, 
— no,  be  alive  in  earnest.  Be  thoughtful  and  versa- 
tile. Be  bright  and  cheery  and  simple-hearted  and 
sympathetic.  In  these  prayers,  that  should  furnish 
the  life-blood  to  the  school,  be  all  things  to  all — chil- 
dren, if  by  all  means  you  may  win  one  of  them. 
232 


Chapter  XXXIX 
S.  S.  and  C.  E. 

A  WORD  must  be  said  about  the  co-operation  of  the 
Sunday-school  and  that  other  great  modern  agency 
for  work  with  the  youth,  the  young  people's  religious 
society.  Whatever  is  said  will  be  as  true  of  the 
Epworth  Leagues,  Baptist  Unions,  and  other  denomi- 
national organizations  as  of  the  Christian  Endeavor 
societies ;  but  since  the  latter,  like  the  Sunday-schools, 
are  found  in  all  denominations,  and  since  my  own 
especial  work  lies  among  them,  it  will  be  quite  ap- 
propriate in  this  connection,  as  well  as  less  confusing, 
to  use  only  the  one  name,  Christian  Endeavor. 

Though  of  ages  so  unequal,  "  S.  S."  and  "  C.  E." 
are  sisters.  Both  are  international  and  interdenomi- 
national. Both  apply  the  principle  of  age  classifica- 
tion to  religious  work.  Both  are  strongly  evangelical, 
and  earnest  seekers  of  souls.  Both  are  held  in  strict- 
est subordination  to  the  church.  And  both  are  Bible 
lovers;  for  the  Christian  Endeavor  pledge  requires 
daily  reading  of  the  Bible,  and  the  weekly  prayer- 
233 


Sunday-School  Success 

meeting  topic  calls  out  no  slight  amount  of  Bible 
study.  Moreover,  this  topic  is  usually  in  line  with 
the  week's  Sunday-school  lesson, — not  the  same  as  the 
latter,  but  suggested  by  it.  The  two  agencies  are  at 
work  in  different  fields.  The  one  puts  in,  the  other 
draws  out.  The  one  studies,  the  other  practices. 
The  Christian  Endeavor  society  affords  an  excellent 
test  for  the  Sunday-school,  and  is  its  complement. 
Whatever  helps  the  one  aids  the  other,  and  the  two 
should  labor  hand  in  hand. 

There  are  even  some  things  that  the  Sunday-school 
might  learn  from  its  little  sister.  The  principle  of  the 
pledge  has  proved  attractive  and  powerful  in  the 
Christian  Endeavor  society.  Why  not  adopt  it  in 
the  Sunday-school,  asking  the  scholars  for  voluntary 
vows  that  they  will  attend  regularly  and  will  spend 
fifteen  minutes  a  day  in  studying  their  lessons  ?  The 
monthly  consecration  meeting  maintains  wonderfully 
the  spirituality,  zeal,  and  discipline  of  the  Christian 
Endeavor  society.  Why  not  a  monthly  consecration 
and  experience  meeting  of  Sunday-school  teachers  ? 
Three  or  four  Christian  Endeavor  societies  cannot 
exist  in  the  same  town  without  forming  a  local  union 
for  mutual  encouragement  and  consultation.  Sun- 
day-schools have  their  county  conventions,  but  why 
not  also  this  beautiful  interdenominational  fellowship 
among  the  Sunday-schools  of  every  community?  A 
large  part  of  the  remarkable  success  of  Christian 
Endeavor  is  due  to  its  being  a  work  of  the  young 
people  for  themselves.  There  is  close  pastoral  and 
234 


S.  S.  and  C.  E. 

church  supervision,  and  it  is  welcomed ;  but  the  En- 
deavorers  feel  that  it  is  their  society,  for  whose  honor 
they  are  responsible,  and  whose  victories  depend  upon 
themselves.  As  far  as  possible,  this  spirit  should  be 
incorporated  in  the  Sunday-school,  so  that  the  Bible 
study  may  not  seem  a  work  impressed  on  the  schol- 
ars, but  elected  by  them,— their  work,  and  not  their 
teachers'. 

How  can  the  Christian  Endeavor  society  help  the 
Sunday-school?  Greatly  in  its  prayer-meetings,  by 
remembering  the  allied  Sunday-school  topic  of  the 
morning.  Here  is  a  chance  for  the  teacher  to  enlarge 
upon  some  theme  treated  too  hurriedly  in  the  lesson 
hour,  and  for  scholars  to  show  their  appreciation  of 
their  teacher  by  repeating  some  thought  he  brought 
out  in  the  morning.  If  rightly  managed,  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  meeting  furnishes  an  admirable  oppor- 
tunity for  advertising  the  Sunday-school,  and  prac- 
tically applying  the  truths  there  taught. 

But  the  help  given  may  be  far  more  direct.  Every 
well-organized  Christian  Endeavor  society  has  a  Sun- 
day-school committee,  whose  members  put  themselves 
under  the  direction  of  the  superintendent,  and  make 
it  the  one  object  of  their  term's  work  to  push  in  all 
possible  ways  the  interests  of  the  Sunday-school. 

The  members  of  this  committee  are  usually  chosen 
with  an  eye  to  their  fitness  for  acting  as  substitute 
teachers.  Sometimes  the  committee  constitutes  itself 
a  normal  class  and  studies  the  lessons  a  week  in  ad- 
vance, considering  especially  the  way  to  teach  effec- 
235 


Sunday-School  Success 

lively.  On  the  next  Sunday,  therefore,  the  superin- 
tendent will  find  any  of  these  Endeavorers  well 
prepared  to  fill  a  vacancy. 

Everywhere,  too,  these  Sunday-school  committees 
help  the  busy  teacher  to  look  after  the  absent  schol- 
ars and  to  care  for  the  sick.  It  is  far  easier  for  these 
young  people  than  for  the  teacher  to  learn  the  real 
causes  of  absence  and  to  urge  better  attendance.  In 
some  schools  the  teachers  fill  out  blank  cards  every 
Sabbath,  giving  the  names  of  absentees  or  of  the  sick 
on  whom  they  would  like  to  have  the  Sunday-school 
committee  call.  These  cards  are  collected,  the  calls 
made,  and  then  the  Endeavorers  report  to  the  teacher. 

A  kindred  ministration  is  the  gathering  of  new 
scholars.  In  many  cities  the  Sunday-school  commit- 
tee has  conducted  a  fruitful  house-to-house  canvass 
for  new  scholars,  sometimes  canvassing  at  the  same 
time  for  new  members  of  their  society.  Other  com- 
mittees distribute  printed  cards  of  invitation.  Others 
organize  "  recruiting  squads  "  among  the  scholars,  and 
give  little  rewards  to  those  that  do  the  best  work. 
Others  make  it  their  business  to  hunt  out  all  the  young 
strangers  in  the  morning  congregation  and  give  them 
a  personal  invitation  to  the  school.  Still  others  dis- 
tribute among  the  scholars  "suggestion  blanks,"  on 
which  each  scholar  writes  the  names  and  addresses 
of  young  folks  that  might  be  won  for  the  school. 
These  Endeavorers  call  at  the  strangers'  homes  and 
go  with  them  to  the  school,  while  others  stand  ready 
to  welcome  all  strangers  at  the  door  and  show  them 
236 


S.  S.  and  C.  E. 

to  appropriate  classes.     Thus  they  follow  them  up, 
that  it  may  not  be  a  case  of  "  light  come,  light  go." 

The  Endeavorers,  under  the  direction  of  their  Sun- 
day-school committee,  may  be  very  helpful  in  the 
music.  A  choir  or  an  orchestra  may  be  organized 
from  their  numbers.  An  occasional  song  appropriate 
to  the  lesson  may  be  rendered  as  a  solo  or  quartette. 
When  Sunday-school  concerts  are  to  be  given,  the 
Endeavorers  will  afford  trained  assistance.  But 
especially  the  committee  should  become  thoroughly 
familiar  with  the  Sunday-school  song-book,  so  that 
its  members,  scattered  over  the  room,  may  carry  with 
vigor  any  unfamiliar  hymn,  and  give  force  and 
sprightliness  to  all  the  singing. 

The  Sunday-school  librarian  will  find  among  the 
Endeavorers  some  efficient  aids.  The  Sunday-school 
committee  may  advertise  the  new  books  in  the  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  meetings,  and  get  the  society  to  add 
to  the  library  certain  books  of  especial  interest  and 
helpfulness  to  Endeavorers.  Sunday-school  library 
socials  have  been  held  by  some  societies,  the  evening's 
exercises  being  so  planned  as  to  call  attention  to  the 
best  books  in  the  library.  The  Endeavorers  will  help 
in  covering  books,  in  hunting  up  those  that  are  lost, 
in  reading  new  books  and  giving  an  opinion  regard- 
ing them.  Where  subscriptions  are  taken  for  special 
papers  or  magazines,  the  Sunday-school  committee 
will  be  glad  to  undertake  this  work.  After  these 
periodicals  have  been  read,  they  will  gather  up  the 
old  copies  to  send  to  the  hospitals. 
237 


Sunday-School  Success 

The  decorating  for  Christmas  and  Easter  exercises 
or  for  Children's  Day  may  be  assigned  to  the  Christian 
Endeavor  society.  The  Endeavorers  may  be  set  to 
gathering  in  the  scholars  for  Rally  Day.  They  should 
be  called  upon  for  help  on  all  such  special  occasions. 

Some  societies  give  parties  now  and  then  to  the 
classes  that  have  the  best  record,  or  divide  the  school 
into  sections  according  to  age,  and  entertain  each 
section  in  turn  at  a  Christian  Endeavor  social,  clos- 
ing the  series  with  a  pleasant  evening  spent  with  the 
teachers  and  officers  alone. 

It  would  weary  you  if  I  should  rehearse  all  the 
ways  in  which  Christian  Endeavor  societies  have 
proved  helpful  to  the  Sunday-school.  Many  a  pri- 
mary department  has  gained  much  from  close  associa- 
tion with  the  work  of  the  superintendent  of  the  Junior 
Christian  Endeavor  society.  I  have  heard  of  a  large 
number  of  places  where  the  Endeavorers  organized 
and  maintained  mission  Sunday-schools — schools  that 
in  many  instances  have  grown  to  churches.  Often 
the  Endeavorers  take  charge  of  the  ushering  of  the 
school,  furnish  flowers  for  every  session,  offer  rewards 
to  the  scholars  for  excellence  in  various  directions, 
help  with  swift  feet  in  the  messenger  service  of  the 
home  department,  turn  their  trained  forces  into  an 
occasional  Sunday-school  prayer-meeting, — indeed, 
they  are  as  ingenious  in  discovering  ways  of  helping 
this  elder  sister  of  the  Christian  Endeavor  society  as 
they  are  zealous  and  persistent  in  these  labors  after 
they  are  inaugurated. 

238 


S.  S.  and  C.  E. 

If  in  some  churches  this  help  is  not  given,  it  is 
probably  because  it  is  not  invited,  or  very  likely 
through  lack  of  organization.  If  the  Christian  En- 
deavor society  has  no  Sunday-school  committee,  let 
the  Sunday-school  superintendent,  who  is  a  member 
of  the  society  ex  officio,  interest  himself  in  obtaining 
one.  And  then  through  this  committee  he  can  draft 
into  the  service  all  the  other  usual  committees  of  the 
society — the  lookout  committee,  to  get  new  scholars ; 
the  prayer-meeting  committee,  to  aid  in  the  school's 
devotional  exercises ;  the  temperance  and  missionary 
committees,  to  give  assistance  in  the  special  lessons  on 
those  themes ;  the  music  committee,  to  aid  in  the 
singing,  and  the  flower  committee,  to  help  in  the 
decorations ;  the  social  committee,  to  seek  the  absent 
and  the  sick ;  the  good-literature  committee,  to  help 
the  librarian. 

And  if  the  Endeavorers  do  this,  or  a  part  of  this, 
for  the  Sunday-school,  why  should  not  the  Sunday- 
school  do  a  little  for  the  Christian  Endeavor  society? 
The  superintendent  may  help  it  by  calling  upon  it  for 
assistance  and  by  recognizing  on  fit  occasions  its 
officers  and  committees.  He  may  even  give  it  an 
occasional  advertisement  from  the  desk ;  and  he,  with 
his  officers  and  teachers,  may  do  much  to  put  himself 
in  touch  with  the  young  people  by  attending  the 
Christian  Endeavor  meetings  now  and  then.  The 
teachers  may  help  by  introducing  into  their  talks  be- 
fore the  classes  an  occasional  hint  on  the  Christian 
Endeavor  pledge  or  committee  work,  or  by  remem- 
239 


Sunday-School  Success 

bering  the  prayer-meeting  topic  and  suggesting  a 
thought  or  two  that  may  be  developed  in  the  meet- 
ing, or  by  urging  membership  in  the  society  upon 
those  that  do  not  already  belong  to  it. 

Thus  it  is  seen  how  intimately  these  two  organiza- 
tions are  related,  and  how  much  each  may  do  to  help 
the  other.  Do  not  allow  them  to  labor  apart.  Par- 
allel threads  are  weak;  cables  are  made  by  twisting 
them  together. 


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Chapter  XL 
Teachers  in  8vo 

WHAT  the  Sunday-school  library  should  be  depends 
on  what  the  community  is.  These  libraries,  therefore, 
should  not  pattern  after  one  another  like  peas  in  a 
pod,  as  is  too  often  the  case,  but  each  should  have  an 
individuality  of  its  own.  The  Sunday-school  in  a 
city,  with  an  overflowing  public  library  and  an  excel- 
lent public-school  library  at  hand,  has  no  excuse  for 
distributing  secular  books;  while  such  books  may 
form  a  useful  addition  to  the  library  of  a  country 
school. 

Of  course  there  is  danger  in  admitting  secular 
books  to  the  Sunday-school  library  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, and  I  would  not  for  the  world  add  one 
more  to  the  many  subtle  inroads  upon  the  Lord's 
day.  If  you  place  in  your  library  any  books  that  are 
not  suitable  Sunday  reading,  cover  them  with  paper 
of  a  distinctive  color,  mark  them  "  For  week-day 
reading  only,"  and  watch  them  carefully,  that  you 
may  withdraw  them  from  circulation  if  you  find  them 
241 


Sunday-School  Success 

trenching  on  the  sacred  hours.  With  proper  restric- 
tions, however,  the  church  may  find  here  a  blessed 
ministry  to  many  book-hungry  communities.  Biog- 
raphies like  Irving's  "  Washington "  or  Holland's 
"  Lincoln  " ;  histories  like  Motley's  "  Rise  of  the 
Dutch  Republic  " ;  poems  like  "  Snowbound,"  "  The 
Idyls  of  the  King,"  "  Evangeline" ;  essays  like  Smiles' 
"Self  Help"  or  Mathews'  "Getting  on  in  the 
World  " ;  books  of  science  like  Winchell's  "  Sparks 
from  a  Geologist's  Hammer"  or  Proctor's  "Other 
Worlds  than  Ours," — if  you  can  get  your  scholars  to 
read  on  week-days  such  books  as  these,  you  will 
deepen,  broaden,  and  enrich  the  soil  in  which  you  do 
your  Sunday  sowing. 

But  the  more  the  community  needs  books,  the 
harder  it  is  to  raise  money  for  them.  This,  however, 
is  merely  a  difficulty  of  the  start.  A  few  books, 
shrewdly  chosen,  will  create  a  hunger  for  more,  and 
that  hunger  will  open  the  pocketbooks. 

Hold  a  book  social,  admission  to  which  shall  be 
a  copy,  old  or  new,  of  some  good  book.  The  enter- 
tainment at  this  social  should  be  appropriate.  Let 
each  person  that  comes  carry  about  him  a  token  of 
some  book,  such  as  a  card  about  his  neck  reading, 
"  Who  teaches  you?  "  ("  Hoosier  School  Master  " ! ). 
Illustrate  a  poem  with  shadow  pictures.  Place  about 
the  room  numbered  portraits  of  authors  for  the  com- 
pany to  name.  Add  readings  and  essays  on  literary 
themes. 

A  course  of  lectures  and  concerts  is  possible,  now- 
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Teachers  in  8vo 

adays,  for  almost  any  enterprising  community,  and 
the  proceeds  will  give  the  library  a  start. 

For  a  time  you  may  charge  two  cents  for  the  read- 
ing of  each  book,  thus  forcing  the  library  itself  to  earn 
its  double  in  the  course  of  a  year. 

At  the  beginning,— or,  for  that  matter,  all  the 
time,— the  generous  among  the  church-members  may 
be  urged  to  lend  books  to  the  library  for  a  year  at  a 
time.  Such  books  should  be  covered  with  different 
paper  from  the  others,  and  plainly  marked  with  the 
name  of  the  lender  and  an  injunction  to  especial  care- 
fulness in  handling  them. 

The  library  will  be  generously  supported,  if  its 
books  are  sensibly  selected ;  but  this  is  not  an  easy 
task.  Do  not  leave  it  to  any  single  man,  but  appoint 
the  wisest  men  and  women  of  the  church  a  committee 
on  selection,  and  require  them  all  to  read  every  book 
that  is  chosen.  Obviously,  the  value  of  such  a  com- 
mittee will  increase  with  the  growing  years,  and  it 
should  be  a  permanent  body. 

Many  booksellers  will  send  books  on  approval. 
The  review  columns  in  the  religious  papers  should  be 
regularly  watched.  The  committee  should  be  placed 
on  the  mailing-lists  of  all  the  best  publishers,  to  receive 
their  regular  announcements  of  books.  They  should 
get  into  correspondence  with  the  librarians  of  other 
schools,  learning  from  them  what  books  are  popular 
and  helpful.  And,  above  everything  else,  they  should 
get  in  contact  with  the  scholars  of  their  own  school, 
to  watch  the  practical  effect  of  the  books  they  select. 
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Sunday-School  Success 

Regarding  the  selection  of  books,  first,  some 
"dont's." 

Don't  choose  any  volume,  no  matter  how  famous, 
without  reading  every  word  of  it.  One  of  the  grand- 
est of  biographies,  for  instance,  is  Franklin's  autobi- 
ography ;  but  you  will  not  wish  to  put  before  young 
readers  his  chapter  on  his  religion — or  lack  of  it.  Won- 
derfully inspiring  essays  are  Emerson's ;  but  here  and 
there  a  sentence  speaks  of  Christ  as  a  mere  man.  A 
very  stimulating  booklet  is  "  Blessed  be  Drudgery  " ; 
but  one  sentence  spoils  it  for  our  use,  since  it  places 
Jesus  at  the  end  of  a  list  of  philosophers  at  whose 
head  stands  Herbert  Spencer. 

Don't  buy  "fads."  Wait  and  see  whether  the 
book  now  so  much  lauded  is  heard  of  next  year. 

Don't  buy  the  books  that  have  fittingly  been  called 
"  a-little-child-shall-lead-them  "  stories.  Bill  Nye  de- 
scribed them  as  tales  relating  how  a  dear  little  boy, 
though  but  five  and  a  half  and  crippled,  took  in  back 
stairs  to  scrub,  and  supported  his  widowed  mother, 
and  sent  his  sister  to  college. 

Don't  buy  "  libraries."  As  sensibly  let  a  man  that 
has  never  seen  you  order  for  you  a  suit  of  clothes. 

Don't  buy  "sets"  and  "series"  and  "sequels." 
Judge  every  book  on  its  merits. 

Don't  buy  the  books  of  one  publishing-house  alone, 
however  excellent,  any  more  than  you  would  fill  your 
home  with  the  works  of  only  one  painter. 

Don't  confine  your  choice  merely  to  the  "  Sunday- 
school  writers."  Books  that  are  not  virile  enough  to 
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Teachers  in  8vo 

attract  and  help  folks  outside  the  Sunday-school  are 
not  likely  to  prove  very  useful  inside. 

Don't  buy  by  authors.  "Aunt  Mary's  Candle- 
stick," by  Jemima  Jones,  may  have  been  the  greatest 
success  of  the  year  in  your  school ;  but  that  is  no  rea- 
son why  you  should  load  up  with  "Aunt  Mary's 
Dust-brush  "  and  "  Aunt  Mary's  Needlecase "  and 
"  Aunt  Mary's  Dish-mop,"  by  the  same  industrious 
author. 

In  fine,  don't  buy  any  book,  no  matter  who  is  its 
publisher  or  author,  or  what  its  reputation,  unless  that 
particular  book  meets  some  particular  need  of  your 
particular  school. 

And  now,  what  shall  we  buy?  Stories,  of  course, 
in  delightful  measure.  The  Sunday-school  library 
has  the  highest  authority  for  teaching  in  parables. 
And  for  these  stories  there  are  three  requirements. 

First,  they  must  be  attractive.  What  is  the  use  of 
a  book  if  it  will  not  be  read? 

Second,  they  must  be  natural.  He  who  is  the 
Truth  will  never  bless  a  story  of  lifeless,  jerking,  gal- 
vanized puppets,  gibbering  forced  aphorisms  and  pre- 
posterous piety,  and  acting  in  a  red  fire  of  sensational 
incidents.  Real  boys  and  girls,  real  men  and  women, 
real  life,  and  therefore  life  intensely  interesting,— 
these  must  dwell  in  our  Sunday-school  stories. 

And  finally,  the  stories  must  be  helpful.  Each 
must  have  a  point,  a  purpose.  They  must  be  out- 
right for  Christ,  if  they  are  to  make  outright  Chris- 
tians. 

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Sunday-School  Success 

Don't  neglect  the  old-fashioned  stories,  such  as 
the  Rollo  books.  They  are  full  of  meat.  Especially 
helpful  are  such  stories  of  Bible  times  as  "  Ben  Hur." 
Provided  their  imaginings  do  not  outrun  the  Bible 
facts,  we  can  scarcely  have  too  many  of  them.  Do 
not  forget,  either,  the  books  that  tell  the  Bible  stories 
themselves,  in  simple  language,  for  the  little  ones. 
Above  all  stories,  do  not  omit  the  "  Pilgrim's  Progress," 
but  buy  a  volume  in  large  typeand  beautifully  illustrated. 

Next  to  stories,  what?  Emphatically,  lives  of  the 
great  Christians ;  above  all,  missionaries.  There  are 
brief,  bright,  well-illustrated  lives  of  Mackay,  the 
marvelous  mechanic,  Carey,  the  consecrated  cobbler, 
Paton,  the  hero  of  the  New  Hebrides,  Livingstone 
the  daring,  Martyn  the  saintly,  Judson  the  sagacious, 
Patteson,  the  white  knight  of  Melanesia,  and  a  host 
of  other  grand  men.  What  inspiration  to  a  splendid 
life  is  to  be  gained  from  the  story  of  Madagascar's 
dusky  martyrs,  or  the  account  of  Allen  Gardiner's 
magnificent  death  in  Patagonia!  What  a  spur  to 
active  service  is  the  tale  of  the  winning  of  Hawaii, 
the  opening  up  of  Japan,  the  self-sacrificing  missions 
of  the  Moravians,  the  daring  ride  of  Whitman  across 
the  continent  for  the  salvation  of  Oregon! 

Then,  there  are  the  lives  of  great  reformers  like 
Luther,  John  Howard,  Wilberforce,  John  B.  Gough, 
and  of  such  superb  Christians  as  Gladstone,  Wesley, 
Washington,  William  of  Orange.  There  is  no  need 
of  a  long  list.  The  trouble  is  not  to  find  the  books, 
but  to  awaken  among  your  scholars  a  hunger  for  the 
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Teachers  in  8vo 

real  heroism  of  real  men  as  opposed  to  the  imaginary 
heroism  of  fiction. 

Another  section  of  your  library  should  contain 
books  that  bear  directly  on  the  work  of  the  school. 
There  must  be  the  best  works  on  teaching,  such  as 
Trumbull's  "Teachers  and  Teaching,"  Schauffler's 
"  Ways  of  Working,"  Boynton's  "  The  Model  Sunday- 
school,"  and  Du  Bois'  "The  Point  of  Contact." 
There  must  be  some  account  of  the  Bible,  like  Rice's 
"  Our  Sixty-six  Sacred  Books  " ;  some  brief  and  at- 
tractive manual  of  Christian  evidences,  like  Fisher's 
or  Robinson's ;  some  life  of  Christ,  like  Geikie's  or 
Farrar's;  some  account  of  the  history,  polity,  and 
teachings  of  your  denomination.  Thompson's  "  The 
Land  and  the  Book,"  Smith's  "  Historical  Geography 
of  the  Holy  Land,"  Geikie's  "  Hours  with  the  Bible," 
Taylor's  "  Moses,  the  Lawgiver,"  Deems'  "  The  Gos- 
pel of  Common  Sense,"  Pierce's  "Pictured  Truth," 
Butterworth's  "The  Story  of  the  Hymns,"— each  of 
these  is  a  type  of  a  class  of  books  helpful  to  teachers, 
— and  to  scholars  also,  if  they  can  be  brought  to  read 
them.  Add,  for  the  temperance  lessons,  such  books 
as  Banks'  "  The  Saloon-keeper's  Ledger,"  Gustaf- 
son's  "  The  Fountain  of  Death,"  and  Strong's  "  Our 
Country  "  and  "  The  New  Era." 

I  wonder  that  so  few  Sunday-school  libraries  con- 
tain the  great  Christian  poems,  such  as  "  Paradise 
Lost,"  Browning's  "  Saul,"  Lowell's  "  Vision  of  Sir 
Launfal,"  Arnold's  "  The  Light  of  the  World,"  and 
many  more  that  would  illuminate  the  lessons. 
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Sunday-School  Success 

Many  fascinating  books  of  science  for  young  folks 
have  been  written  expressly  from  the  Christian  stand- 
point. Why  not  add  to  the  library  such  books  as 
Kingsley's  "  Glaucus,"  Burr's  "  Ecce  Coelum,"  Agnes 
Gibberne's  "Sun,  Moon,  and  Stars,"  Keyser's  "In 
Bird-land  "? 

I  may  seem  to  be  suggesting  books  for  the  older 
scholars  mainly.  Let  me  here  urge  that  equal  care 
and  thought  be  spent  on  the  volumes  for  the  little 
tots  and  the  "  intermediates."  Their  books  are  not 
so  interesting  to  the  mature-minded  committee,  and 
so  they  are  more  likely  to  be  chosen  at  haphazard. 

This  is  especially  true  of  the  books  for  the  primary 
department.  Two  or  three  pounds  of  their  diminu- 
tive volumes  are  shoveled  up  in  a  mass,  read  by  title, 
and  tucked  in  at  the  end  of  the  list.  This  careless- 
ness is  especially  injurious,  because  it  is  at  their  age 
that  the  reading  habit  is  formed,  and  it  is  of  the  ut- 
most importance  that  the  tiniest  books  in  the  library 
shall  be  bright,  helpful,  and  of  real  literary  value. 
To  discover  these  will  prove  one  of  the  most  difficult 
tasks  of  the  conscientious  committee. 

Do  not  give  up  the  old  favorites.  When  Susan 
Coolidge's  "  Katy  Did  "  series  wears  out,  give  the 
old  books  away  to  some  poorer  school  and  get  a  fresh 
set  of  the  same.  Remember  that  new  scholars  are 
all  the  time  entering,  and  that  there  is  no  recommen- 
dation for  a  book  so  effective  as  the  young  people's 
own  testimony,  "  I  have  read  it,  and  I  know  you  will 
like  it." 

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Teachers  in  8vo 

Have  an  eye  to  the  paper  and  type  and  binding. 
Many  books  intended  for  Sunday-school  libraries  are 
printed  on  stiff,  pulpy  paper,  that  refuses  to  remain 
open  at  any  place  without  cracking  the  back,  and  use 
a  cramped  and  formal  typography  more  suitable  to  a 
funeral  sermon  than  to  a  book  intended  to  attract 
young  folks. 

If  your  funds  allow,  it  is  an  admirable  plan  to 
obtain  more  than  one  copy  of  certain  books  especially 
likely  to  be  needed  by  several  classes  at  once,  such 
as  books  on  Christian  evidences,  on  the  Bible,  and  on 
the  themes  of  the  current  lessons. 

It  is  one  thing  to  gather  a  library,  and  quite  an- 
other to  get  it  used,  and  well  used.  The  first  point 
is  to  introduce  it  to  the  teachers.  They  must  con- 
sider these  "  teachers  in  8vo  "  to  be  their  assistants, 
and  must  be  thoroughly  acquainted  with  them. 
Every  teacher  should  read  every  book  in  the  library 
that  is  within  the  range  of  his  scholars'  comprehension. 
How  otherwise  can  he  guide  their  reading?  Of 
course  the  most  hasty  perusal  will  be  sufficient,  pro- 
vided it  shows  the  teacher  the  heart  of  the  book.  A 
teacher  should  learn  the  useful  art  of  rapid  reading. 

Let  the  teacher,  as  part  of  his  preview  of  the  quar- 
ter's lessons,  make  out  a  list  of  library  books  that  teach 
the  principal  truths  of  the  quarter  ahead  of  him,  and 
give  this  list  to  each  scholar  with  the  first  lesson.  A 
few  minutes  of  each  teachers'  meeting  might  well  be 
spent  in  giving  suggestions  regarding  the  use  of  the 
library  to  illustrate  the  next  lesson.  Let  the  teacher 
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Sunday-School  Success 

often  refer  to  these  books  in  the  course  of  his  teach- 
ing, learn  what  appropriate  books  each  scholar  has 
been  reading,  and  get  him  to  give  the  class  some  ac- 
count of  them. 

Often  it  will  be  well  for  the  teacher  to  ask  some 
scholar  to  read  a  certain  story  or  biography  or  poem 
during  the  week,  and  be  ready  to  tell  about  it  for  an 
illustration  of  next  Sunday's  truths. 

If  you  have  no  teachers'  meeting,  once  in  a  while 
the  librarian  may  mention  at  the  prayer-meeting  some 
library  book  of  timely  helpfulness,  or  the  pastor 
might  even  speak  of  it  from  the  pulpit. 

It  is  far  better  to  buy  the  books  a  few  at  a  time. 
In  some  schools  a  new  book  is  added  to  the  library 
every  Sunday  of  the  fifty-two.  The  chairman  of  the 
library  committee  comes  forward  with  the  book  in  his 
hand,  and  describes  it  in  a  few  bright,  brisk  sentences. 
Its  title  and  number  are  plainly  written  on  the  black- 
board in  front  of  the  school.  The  choice  is  varied, 
—now  a  book  for  the  youngest,  next  week  one  for 
the  older  scholars. 

Some  libraries  have  a  special  case  for  the  new 
books,  where  every  one  can  readily  find  them  and 
examine  them.  Indeed,  the  scholars  are  far  more 
easily  introduced  to  all  the  books,  new  and  old,  if 
they  have  free  access  to  the  shelves  and  can  handle 
the  books  themselves,  thus  coming  to  know  each  as 
an  old  friend.  By  the  way,  I  do  not  believe  in  cov- 
ering the  books.  Covered  books  have  no  individu- 
ality. 

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Teachers  in  8vo 

Happy  the  school  that  has  a  good-sized  room  for 
its  library.  Some  even  get  it  by  placing  the  books  in 
a  house  next  door  to  the  church. 

I  have  known  schools  to  get  acquainted  with  their 
books  by  coming  together  for  a  "  library  evening,"  in 
which  the  wealth  of  the  library  was  disclosed  by  vari- 
ous speakers,  each  trying  to  interest  the  school  in  one 
book,  or  class  of  books. 

After  all,  the  library  catalogue  may  be  the  best 
agent  of  introduction.  Every  library  should  have 
one,  though  it  is  only  a  home-made  affair,  manufac- 
tured on  a  typewriter  or  a  hectograph.  Every  book 
should  be  briefly  described,  so  that  the  scholars  may 
know,  for  instance,  the  scene  and  purpose  of  each 
story,  the  kind  of  man  described  in  each  biography, 
and  whether  it  is  a  book  for  old,  young,  or  primary 
scholars.  Some  librarians  mark  one  catalogue  for 
each  class,  indicating  the  books  especially  pleasing  to 
scholars  of  the  average  age  of  the  class,  so  that  the 
teacher  may  guide  their  selection.  Others  divide  the 
catalogue  into  sections,  each  containing  the  books 
appropriate  to  one  division  of  the  school. 

Not  only  should  a  teacher  know  what  his  scholars 
are  reading,  but  he  should  find  out  how  they  read. 
He  should  try  to  teach  them  the  art  of  reading.  The 
demoralizing  habit  of  reading  merely  for  the  moment's 
pleasurable  excitement  and  the  next  moment's  forget- 
ting may  be  formed  as  easily  with  Sunday-school 
stories  as  with  newspapers. 

Some  librarians,  to  this  end,  place  in  each  book  a 
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Sunday-School  Success 

slip  of  paper,  and  the  scholar  is  expected  to  write  upon 
this  at  least  one  thing  he  has  learned  from  the  book, 
telling  at  the  same  time  how  he  likes  it. 

If  the  scholars,  as  will  likely  happen,  are  reading 
little  but  stories,  the  librarian  himself  can  do  much  to 
promote  more  solid  reading  by  reporting  every  month 
to  the  school  the  number  of  stories  read,  the  number 
of  biographies,  etc.  This  report  may  be  made  by 
classes,  and  teachers  and  scholars  should  be  urged  to 
make  a  better  record  next  month. 

Let  me  close  this  chapter  with  a  few  points  regard- 
ing library  management. 

It  is  poor  economy  of  labor  to  change  the  librarian 
frequently,  so  much  of  his  usefulness  depends  on  his 
familiarity  with  the  books,  and  that  familiarity  re- 
quires time  to  gain.  If  you  can  find  a  librarian  that 
does  not  especially  need  the  benefit  of  the  Bible 
study,  one  that  loves  and  understands  children,  keep 
him  in  office  as  long  as  may  be.  But  be  sure  to  give 
him  an  assistant  to  aid  the  children  in  their  selections, 
or  record  the  books  while  the  librarian  is  consulting 
with  the  children ;  also  to  take  the  librarian's  place 
when  he  is  sick  or  absent,  or  possibly  to  take  turns 
with  him  in  presiding  over  the  library,  so  that  each 
may  recite  the  lesson  half  the  time. 

The  books  will  be  gathered  up  on  the  entrance  of 
the  scholars.  A  table  or  a  basket  or  an  usher  may 
be  placed  at  the  door  for  this  purpose.  If  the  schol- 
ars cannot  be  given  access  to  the  books  and  select 
them  themselves,  the  librarians  will  pass  quietly  around 
252 


Teachers  in  8vo 

among  the  classes,  leaving  the  new  books  at  each 
table ;  but  these  books  are  never  to  be  given  to  the 
scholars  until  just  before  they  leave. 

The  most  effective  record,  yet  a  very  simple  one, 
may  be  made  by  any  librarian.  Give  to  each  scholar 
a  card  bearing  his  name  and  his  number.  On  this 
he  writes  a  list  of  about  ten  numbers  of  the  books  he 
prefers.  As  the  librarian  places  his  card  in  one  of 
these  new  books,  that  number  is  scratched  off  and 
the  date  written  opposite.  At  the  same  time  the  li- 
brarian writes  the  scholar's  number  and  the  date  in 
his  library  catalogue  after  the  number  of  the  book 
taken  out,  and  upon  a  list  of  the  scholars'  numbers 
writes  the  number  of  the  book  after  the  number  of 
the  scholar.  When  the  book  is  returned  lines  are 
drawn  through  these  records.  Thus  at  any  time  the 
librarian  can  see  what  books  are  out,  who  has  them, 
how  long  they  have  had  them,  what  books  each 
scholar  has  read,  and  how  often  each  book  has  been 
taken  out. 

As  the  Sunday-school  library  should  teach  punctu- 
ality, among  other  good  things,  the  librarian  should 
strictly  require  every  book  to  be  brought  back  at  the 
end  of  the  week  or  fortnight,  no  matter  who  the 
scholar  may  be,  or  whether  the  book  is  in  much  or  little 
demand.  It  may  not  be  best  to  establish  any  system 
of  fines,  but  a  postal-card  notice  should  be  sent  in 
aggravated  cases,  and  sometimes  the  teacher  should 
be  asked  to  look  up  the  book.  It  will  spur  the 
scholars  to  promptness  if  they  know  that  each  instance 
253 


Sunday-School  Success 

of  tardiness  is  recorded  against  their  names  on  the 
library's  records. 

The  proper  care  of  books  is  another  good  thing  the 
library  should  teach.  Any  marked  blemish  in  a  book 
should  be  noted  when  it  is  sent  out ;  and  when  a  book 
is  injured  by  a  scholar,  the  librarian  should  always 
speak  to  him  about  it,  or  get  the  teacher  to  do  this  if 
the  child  is  a  stranger  to  him.  A  plainly  printed  slip 
urging  careful  handling,  forbidding  dog's  ears,  and 
the  like,  may  well  be  pasted  in  each  book. 

It  is  sometimes  possible  and  advantageous  to  open 
the  library  at  some  time  during  the  week,  especially 
on  prayer-meeting  evenings,  when  the  older  folks  can 
select  their  books,  or,  for  the  benefit  of  the  children, 
on  Friday  afternoons  after  school. 

Some  classes  will  like  to  have  little  libraries  of  their 
own,  containing  Bibles  for  each  scholar,  Bible  atlas, 
a  Revised  Bible,  a  Bible  dictionary,  a  concordance, 
etc.  Always  it  is  well  to  arrange  for  the  entire  school 
a  special  reference  library,  the  contents  of  which  will 
largely  change  from  quarter  to  quarter.  In  it  will  be 
placed  the  general  Bible  helps  and  whatever  books 
are  of  special  interest  for  the  quarter's  lessons.  The 
scholars  may  be  sent  to  these  reference  shelves  during 
the  lesson  hour.  At  least  one  school  has  a  special 
case,  always  open,  for  books  of  this  nature,  and  places 
the  case  in  the  front  of  its  main  schoolroom. 

On  the  whole,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  chapter  is  a 
plea  for  a  Sunday-school  library  that  is  a  corporate 
part  of  the  Sunday-school  teaching,  that  will  help  the 
254 


Teachers  in  8vo 

teacher  on  Sunday,  and  carry  his  teaching  through  the 
week.  Such  a  library  virtually  adds  scores  of  the 
wisest  men  and  women  to  the  teaching  force  of  the 
school,  and  multiplies  by  many  hours  the  pitiful  thirty 
minutes  given  to  the  lesson. 


255 


Chapter  XLI 
Around  the  Council  Fire 

OUR  conventions  are  the  grand  council  fires  in  the 
war  the  Sunday-school  is  waging  against  the  forces  of 
evil.  The  flame  of  the  Holy  Spirit  should  blaze  in 
their  midst.  With  military  directness  they  should  go 
straight  to  the  immediate  needs,  find  out  what  they 
are,  plan  the  campaign.  Orderly  and  in  turn,  all 
should  have  a  part  in  them,  not  only  the  speakers, 
but  the  audience,  one  school  and  every  school.  With 
hearts  uplifted,  with  zeal  on  fire,  every  teacher  should 
leave  the  gathering  bent  on  more  valiant  service. 

Only  a  well-planned  convention  can  effect  this, — 
a  convention  long  thought  over  and  prayed  over,  not 
merely  by  one  man,  but  by  many.  These  meetings 
not  seldom  remind  one  of  a  house  of  which  the  owner 
takes  possession  prematurely.  Over  yonder  the 
scaffolding  is  still  up,  here  they  are  just  removing  it, 
the  sound  of  the  hammer  and  the  saw  is  everywhere, 
and  the  smell  of  wet  plaster  is  in  the  air.  Thus  in 
many  conventions.  Here  and  there  the  president 
256 


Around  the  Council  Fire 

bustles  around,  over  the  platform,  through  the  audi- 
ence. The  local  committee  of  arrangements  are  like 
bees  before  swarming.  We  begin  late  and  with 
apologies ;  so  we  continue. 

The  model  convention,  however,  began  at  least  as 
far  back  as  the  preceding  convention.  At  that  gath- 
ering suggestions  for  the  next  meeting  were  called  for 
and  obtained.  During  the  following  weeks  the  presi- 
dent visited  or  corresponded  with  every  school  in  the 
district,  trying  to  discover  its  excellences  and  lacks, 
that  the  convention  might  exhibit  the  one  and  supply 
the  other.  Indeed,  at  the  very  opening  of  the  pre- 
ceding convention  the  new  officers,  if  any,  were 
elected,  that  during  the  sessions  they  might  have  ears 
open  and  brains  and  tongues  active,  gathering  hints 
for  the  profitable  meeting  they  were  to  plan.  There- 
fore it  was  early  known  precisely  what  the  coming 
convention  was  to  teach,  and  that  convention,  instead 
of  bumping  along  Haphazard  Lane,  rolls  smoothly 
over  Purpose  Avenue. 

Two  methods  will  promote  this  preparedness  of 
the  audience,  without  which  the  best-prepared  pro- 
gramme largely  fails:  there  should  be  a  convention 
press  committee,  whose  pleasant  task  it  is  to  pack  the 
papers  with  appetizing  details  of  the  coming  meetings ; 
and  every  school  should  be  supplied,  at  least  two 
weeks  beforehand,  with  a  large  number  of  the  printed 
programmes.  If  these  are  attractively  got  up,  if  the 
topics  meet  genuine  needs  and  are  expressed  brightly, 
suggestively,  and  not  as  Dr.  Dryasdust  would  formu- 
257 


Sunday-School  Success 

late  them,  and  if  the  various  superintendents  and 
pastors  advertise  the  convention  wisely,  the  audience 
that  will  come  together  will  be  ready  for  its  work. 

So  large  a  part  of  most  Sunday-school  convention 
audiences  comes  from  the  immediate  locality  that 
especial  effort  should  be  made  to  interest  beforehand 
the  church  and  the  town  in  which  the  meetings  are 
held ;  and  this  not  merely  for  the  sake  of  the  conven- 
tion, but  for  the  quickening  of  Sunday-school  inter- 
ests throughout  the  community.  But  if  only  a  few 
persons  are  gathered,  do  not  make  the  mistake  of 
losing  them  in  a  large  room,  with  scores  of  empty 
pews  into  which  their  zeal  can  creep  away  and  hide 
itself.  The  same  coals  that  grow  black  in  all  out- 
doors will  make  a  little  stove  red-hot. 

No  small  part  of  the  preparation  that  is  to  make  a 
success  of  your  convention  is  the  careful  and  enter- 
prising selection  of  speakers.  The  best  policy  is  to 
choose  none  from  "  policy."  Select  the  men  that  can 
inspire  and  instruct,  though  you  must  crowd  out  some 
pastor  of  a  big  church  or  some  man  with  a  big  name. 
From  the  teachers  themselves  call  out  suggestions  as 
to  speakers  as  well  as  to  topics.  Search  through  your 
district  for  original  workers,  inventors,  plummet  men, 
women  that  win  the  hearts  of  the  children,  and  get 
them  to  tell  the  convention  how  they  do  it.  By  all 
means  call  in  the  successful  Christian  teacher  in  the 
secular  schools.  If  possible,  import  a  skilled  worker 
from  outside  your  district.  Fresh  air  will  come  in 
with  him,  the  sense  of  a  wider  outlook.  Only,  he 
258 


Around  the  Council  Fire 

must  not  be  an  opinionated  egotist,  one  of  those  ex- 
cathedra  men,  but  a  warm-hearted  brother  in  the 
Lord ;  and  it  is  far  better  to  use  him  in  several  short 
speeches  scattered  over  the  programme  than  in  one 
long  address. 

The  wise  choice  of  topics  is  quite  as  important  as 
a  wise  choice  of  men  to  treat  them.  Let  all  pro- 
gramme-makers remember  what  the  convention  is  to 
do :  not  to  show  off  leaders,  or  to  raise  money,  or  to 
get  acquainted,  or  to  have  a  good  time,  but  to  learn 
more  about  teaching  and  managing  Sunday-schools. 
Three  aims  must  be  set  before  every  Sunday-school 
convention :  to  arouse  new  love  for  the  Bible,  to 
arouse  new  love  for  souls,  to  arouse  new  zeal  for 
bringing  these  two  together.  Every  convention, 
then,  should  divide  its  time  among  three  classes  of 
topics :  the  Bible,  the  children,  the  teaching. 

1.  The  Bible.     Such  themes  as  these  are  suggested : 
"How  the   Bible    differs   from   all   other  books." 
"  Recent  Bible  discoveries."     "  My  way  of  studying 
the    Bible."     "Bible-marking."     "How    to    study 
Exodus."     "  The  use  of  a  '  teacher's  Bible.' "     "  In- 
terleaved Bibles,— why  and  how."     "The  value  of 
the  Victoria  revision."     "The  study  of  the  Bible  as 
literature."     "What    is    the    best    commentary?" 
"  Reading  the  Bible  in  course,— how  to  make  it  most 
profitable."     "The  Septuagint  and  its  importance." 
"How  the  Bible  came  down  to  the  printing-press." 
"The  story  of  our  English  Bible." 

2.  The    Children.      "  Imagination    in    children." 

259 


Sunday-School  Success 

"Reasoning  processes  that  a  child  will  not  appreciate." 
"  Why  children  love  stories."  "  Important  differences 
between  the  child's  mind  and  ours."  "  Put  yourself 
in  his  place."  "  A  child's  confidence :  how  lost ;  how 
won."  "Prigs:  how  not  to  make  them."  "The 
self-conscious  child  and  how  to  treat  him."  "Les- 
sons from  the  playground."  "  Kindergarten  princi- 
ples of  value  in  the  Sunday-school." 

3.  The  Two  Brought  Together.  "  What  is  a  good 
question?  "  "  How  to  get  the  class  to  ask  questions." 
"  A  class  that  keeps  its  own  order."  "  Getting  young 
people  in  love  with  the  Bible."  "The  teacher's 
voice."  "  Their  own  Bibles."  "  The  quarterly  left 
at  home."  "  How  to  make  the  Bible  real  to  the  chil- 
dren." "  Some  tests  our  teaching  should  stand." 

This  outline  does  not  omit  the  school  management, 
and  occasional  discussion  of  the  work  of  superinten- 
dents and  other  officers  will  belong  under  the  last  head ; 
but  the  teachers  are  so  many  compared  with  the  offi- 
cers that  their  work  should  be  treated  the  more  gen- 
erously. I  think  most  convention  programmes  deal 
far  too  much  with  the  machinery  of  the  work,  any  way. 

The  best  mode  of  helping  the  officers  is  by  an  offi- 
cers' conference ;  and  if  the  convention  holds  but  two 
sessions,  I  would  urge  that  one  of  them  be  broken  up 
into  conferences.  In  one  room  the  primary  workers 
may  meet ;  in  another,  the  superintendents  and  their 
assistants ;  in  others,  the  librarians,  the  secretaries,  the 
choristers,  the  teachers  of  intermediate  classes,  the 
teachers  of  adult  classes,  the  heads  of  home  depart- 
260 


Around  the  Council  Fire 

ments,  the  pastors.  Programmes  for  these  confer- 
ences should  be  arranged  with  as  much  care  as  for 
the  main  convention,  and  nothing  should  be  done  at 
random.  It  is  a  good  plan,  at  the  opening  of  these 
little  simultaneous  gatherings,  to  appoint  one  mem- 
ber of  each  to  take  notes  of  the  best  things  and  report 
them  succinctly  to  the  entire  body  when  it  reassembles. 

There  are  three  classes  of  topics  that  I  especially 
delight  to  see  on  a  convention  programme.  First, 
the  fundamentals.  We  must  not  forget  the  host  of 
new  workers  constantly  coming  into  our  ranks. 
"  How  to  ask  a  question  "  is  an  old,  old  theme ;  but 
there  are  enough  new  teachers  to  keep  it  forever  fresh 
and  pertinent.  Second,  new  methods,  exploited  by 
authorities,  by  practical  workers.  Third,  what  I  call 
"encouragements,"  topics  that  inspire,  cheer,  comfort, 
victories  gained,  rewards  in  sight.  Hallelujah  themes. 

To  these  I  must  add  a  fourth :  work  for  the  audi- 
ence. I  would  give  the  listeners  a  chance  to  "  talk 
back  "  about  once  every  hour,  and  something  to  do, 
besides  listening,  every  half-hour.  Question-boxes 
on  practical  topics  are  incomparable  interest-quick- 
eners.  An  answer-box  is  a  reversed  question-box. 
It  contains  written  answers  by  the  teachers,  two  or 
three  questions  of  wide  scope  and  great  importance 
being  propounded  on  the  programme ;  such  questions 
as :  "  What  do  you  do  with  pert  children?  "  "  How 
do  you  get  your  scholars  to  study  their  lessons?" 
A  wise  leader,  with  the  grace  of  conciseness,  is  re- 
quired for  both  these  exercises. 
261 


Sunday-School  Success 

Yes,  and  he  is  needed  for  the  "  open  parliaments," 
or  conversational  discussions  of  helpful  topics  by  brisk 
dialogue  between  audience  and  platform.  These  may 
be  made  merely  parade-grounds  for  "  smart "  leaders, 
or  genuine  experience  meetings,  true  council  fires. 
It  is  wise  to  send  a  special  invitation  to  your  best 
teachers,  asking  them  to  be  prepared  with  suggestions 
or  questions  for  the  open  parliament,  that  it  may  start 
off  with  momentum  already  obtained.  A  summarist, 
too,  is  a  good  appointment ;  he  listens  quietly  to  the 
open  parliament,  and  at  the  close  gathers  up,  in  a  few 
sentences  that  stick,  whatever  is  best  worth  preserv- 
ing out  of  the  discussion. 

The  open  parliament  most  commonly  held  consists 
merely  of  dry  and  formal  reports  from  each  school, 
the  roll  being  called.  If  such  an  exercise  is  held, 
place  in  charge  of  it  a  man  thoroughly  familiar  with 
the  schools,  and  able  by  brisk  questioning  to  elicit  a 
report  that  will  picture  the  one  school  and  stimulate 
the  others. 

A  good  presiding  officer  is  half  a  convention.  His 
first  duty  is  to  have  a  distinct  understanding  with 
each  speaker  that  he  is  not  to  trespass  on  the  next 
man's  time,  and  his  second  duty  is  to  cry  "  Stop, 
thief ! "  if  the  speakers  do  so  trespass.  The  convention 
management  should  be  a  model  for  the  Sunday- 
schools  in  every  way,  and  in  none  more  imperatively 
than  in  this  of  promptness. 

But  also  as  to  order.  Oh,  the  weak-kneed  or  the 
purblind  presidents,  that  allow  the  talking,  whisper- 
262 


Around  the  Council  Fire 

ing,  walking  about  of  a  few  to  filch  from  the  many 
half  the  value  of  the  meetings!  Stop  the  speaker. 
Call  a  halt  on  the  entire  convention.  Don't  proceed 
another  step  till  quiet  is  restored,  and  maintained. 
Be  a  platform  czar,  and  your  audience  will  be  your 
happy  serfs. 

Then,  the  president  is  master  of  ceremonies.  So 
much  in  acquaintanceships  depends  on  tactful  intro- 
ductions! He  should  deliver  to  each  successive 
speaker  an  audience  that  is  in  a  glow  of  anticipation, 
and  when  the  speaker  is  done, — yes,  and  all  through, 
— his  own  cordial  hands  shou'd  lead  the  hearty  ap- 
plause, and  he  should  take  time  for  an  appreciative 
word  before  passing  to  the  next  topic. 

If  the  presiding  officer  is  to  do  all  this,  he  must 
plan  beforehand  almost  every  sentence  he  will  use  in 
introducing  speakers  or  opening  the  discussions.  He 
is  to  be  suggestive;  he  is  to  set  brains  a-throbbing 
with  eagerness  and  tongues  aching  with  things  to  say ; 
and  he  is  to  do  it  all  in  twenty  words.  Brevity,  good 
humor,  suggestiveness, — these,  in  this  order,  are  the 
chairman's  prime  virtues. 

At  the  opening  of  every  convention  the  key-note 
of  formality,  routine,  and  perfunctoriness  is  struck  in 
the  address  of  welcome  and  the  response.  Their 
every  word  could  safely  be  predicted  in  advance. 
The  world  is  waiting  for  a  programme  committee 
that  will  be  courageous  enough  to  leave  them  out. 
If  the  pastor  of  the  entertaining  church  has  helpful 
ideas  on  Sunday-school  work,  by  all  means  place  him 
263 


Sunday-School  Success 

on  the  programme  somewhere ;  but  don't  make  a  rut 
of  him. 

At  the  very  outset  strike  the  key  of  prayer.  Insert 
here  and  there  throughout  the  programme  a  quiet  ten 
minutes  with  the  great  Teacher.  By  all  means  close 
with  a  devotional  half -hour— not  a  hasty  prayer 
punctuated  with  the  snapping  of  watches.  Sentence 
prayers  by  scores,  prayer  psalms  softly  repeated, 
prayer  hymns  read  with  bowed  heads, — the  conven- 
tion should  furnish  an  inspiration  and  model  for  the 
devotions  of  all  the  schools  represented. 

Scarcely  less  important  is  the  element  of  song. 
Unconsciously  to  themselves,  the  audience  should 
become  a  normal  training-class,  learning  how  to  con- 
duct the  singing  of  their  schools  in  fresh  and  uplifting 
ways.  Many,  if  not  all  of  the  methods  mentioned  in 
my  chapter  on  this  theme  find  fit  application  to  the 
convention. 

The  social  features  deserve  careful  attention.  Set 
the  teachers  to  talking  together;  conversation  was 
Socrates'  university.  One  of  the  most  helpful  events 
may  be  a  light  supper  given  by  the  entertaining 
church.  A  small  fee  is  charged,  all  sit  down  together, 
and  at  the  close  a  series  of  happy  speeches  will  bring 
out  flashes  of  wit  and  bushels  of  sense. 

The  business  should  be  kept  under.  Introduce  it 
a  little  at  a  time,  rather  than  spend  a  fatiguing  hour 
and  a  half.  Make  no  parade  of  money-raising. 
Giving  should  be  done  quietly.  Teach  your  teachers 
the  grace  of  envelopes.  Reduce  all  business  to  a 
264 


Around  the  Council  Fire 

minimum,  remembering  that  the  convention  comes 
together  not  for  legislation,  but  for  inspiration. 

The  Sunday-school  convention  is  not  only  a  con- 
ference, but  an  exposition.  Here  should  be  gathered 
whatever  new  teaching  apparatus  any  school  has 
bought:  wall-maps,  sand-maps,  relief-maps,  material 
for  object-lessons,  portable  blackboards,  colored  pic- 
tures illustrating  the  lessons,  specimens  of  class  tests, 
library  catalogues,  new  kinds  of  class-books,  collec- 
tion-envelopes, singing-books,  new  editions  of  the 
Bible,  lesson  helps  of  all  kinds,— it  is  clear  how 
varied  and  valuable  a  collection  may  easily  be 
brought  together  when  once  the  teachers  and  officers 
understand  what  is  wanted. 

The  library  of  the  entertaining  school  should  be 
open  for  visiting  librarians  to  examine  books  and 
methods.  The  best  new  books  might  be  brought  in 
from  all  the  libraries  of  the  district,  and  if  each  school 
sent  only  one  or  two,  the  entire  exhibit  would  furnish 
many  a  suggestion  to  wide-awake  library  committees. 

One  of  the  most  important  exhibits  is  a  Sunday- 
school  map  of  the  district,  indicating  where  schools 
are  in  existence,  and  also  where  schools  might  and 
should  be  placed. 

There  is  one  kind  of  exhibit  that  should  rarely  be 
made,  if  ever :  an  exhibit  of  the  children  themselves, 
either  to  "speak  pieces"  or  to  play  Sunday-school 
and  be  taught.  The  latter  use  of  them  has  advan- 
tages, but,  to  my  mind,  the  gain  to  the  audience  is 
nothing  compared  to  the  children's  increase  of  self- 
265 


Sunday-School  Success 

consciousness.  I  hide  my  head  whenever  I  think  of 
such  a  mock  recitation  in  which  I  figured  when  a 
little  boy,  and  remember  how  proud  I  was  of  my  pert 
forwardness  in  answering  all  of  the  questions ;  before 
all  those  people,  too ! 

In  closing,  let  us  ask  how  the  convention  results 
may  be  gathered  up,  preserved,  and  sown  broadcast. 
A  notebook  should  be  in  the  hand  of  each  attendant, 
— either  given  away  or  sold.  The  speakers  should 
so  mark  their  points  and  emphasize  the  subdivisions 
of  their  addresses  that  the  thoughts  can  readily  be 
grasped  and  retained.  A  printed  syllabus  is  a  great 
assistance  to  this  end,  and  if  the  printing-press  is  too 
costly,  a  manifolder  may  be  used.  Blank  pages 
should  be  left  in  the  programme,  to  invite  to  note- 
taking. 

And  then,  the  new  plans  all  jotted  down,  the  felici- 
tous expressions  written  out  verbatim,  the  facts  and 
figures  clearly  noted,  let  the  convention  be  widely  re- 
ported. Not  merely  should  the  convention  press 
committee,  that  heralded  the  gathering  through  the 
papers,  continue  their  labors  long  enough  to  render 
their  previous  work  most  fruitful,  but  every  teacher 
present  should  carry  the  convention's  best  to  his 
teachers'  meeting  and  his  class ;  yes,  and  to  the  church 
prayer-meeting.  Thus  will  the  ardor  of  the  council 
fire  spread  throughout  the  army.  ' 


266 


Chapter  XLII 
The  Incorporation  of  Ideas 

CERTAIN  arts,  such  as  sculpture,  painting,  and 
architecture,  have  been  named  the  fine  arts  by  some 
man  who  had  not  learned  to  look  inward,  and  see 
what  an  infinitely  finer  art  is  any  that  attempts  to 
fashion  the  human  soul.  The  pastor's  and  the 
teacher's  arts,  which  are  in  essence  one,  though  the 
tyranny  of  language  forbids  calling  them  the  fine 
arts,  may  be  given  even  a  nobler  title ;  they  are  the 
high  arts. 

We  would  sit  down  with  bated  breath  and  tense- 
drawn  nerves  to  take  to  pieces  for  the  first  time  the 
delicate  machinery  of  a  watch  for  cleaning  and  re- 
adjustment. If  a  sovereign  diamond  were  placed  in 
our  hands  for  faceting,  we  would  study  for  days  its 
cleavage  plane,  its  natural  angles,  and  its  matrix,  and 
press  it  to  the  revolving  wheel  at  last  with  timidity 
and  shrinking.  But  when  the  most  marvelously  deli- 
cate, impressionable,  yet  abiding  thing  in  the  world 
is  placed  in  our  hands,  together  with  the  mightiest 
267 


Sunday-School  Success 

yet  finest  tools,  and  under  conditions  constantly 
varying,  and  we  are  told  to  fashion  a  human  soul  into 
truth  and  nobility,  we  sit  down  with  confident  smiles, 
and  whack  away. 

It  is  impossible  for  a  Sunday-school  teacher  to 
magnify  his  office.  He  needs  a  spiritual  telescope, 
rather,  to  see  above  it  and  below  it  and  on  all  sides 
of  it.  We  Sunday-school  teachers  constitute  an  un- 
ordained  ministry,  whose  functions  are  as  sacred  as 
those  of  the  pulpit,  though  less  inclusive.  If  we  are 
faithful,  conversions  will  be  as  frequent  results  of  our 
lesson  questions  as  of  the  pastor's  sermons.  "God 
hath  set  some  in  the  church,  first  apostles,  secondly 
prophets,  thirdly  teachers."  Let  us  desire  earnestly 
the  greater  gifts;  but  if  God  calls  us  to  be  neither 
missionary  nor  pastor,  but  Sunday-school  teacher,  even 
that  calling  is  too  high  for  us  fully  to  attain. 

It  is  an  anomaly  to  which  the  Christian  world  is 
just  awaking  that  workers  permit  themselves  to  enter 
on  this  sacred  art  with  no  apprenticeship.  Indeed, 
if  such  untrained  workers  were  not  admitted,  there 
would  soon  be  no  Sunday-schools  in  the  world  to 
admit  them.  Long  as  the  seminaries  for  ministerial 
preparation  have  existed,  it  is  only  recently  that 
training-schools  for  lay  workers  have  been  formed. 
May  they  grow  and  multiply! 

But  until  enlarged  Christian  activity  places  one  of 
these  blessed  institutions  within  reach  of  each  conse- 
crated layman,  we  must  do  the  best  we  can  with  other 
means  of  growth.  We  must  organize  regular  Sunday- 
268 


The  Incorporation  of  Ideas 

school  conventions  and  teach  one  another  there.  We 
must  build  one  another  up  in  enthusiastic  teachers' 
meetings.  We  must  use  the  best  lesson  helps.  We 
must  read  greedily  every  book  and  every  article  that 
promises  to  give  us  new  ideas  and  methods  and  in- 
spiration. 

Now  some  object  to  all  this.  "  You  are  needlessly 
discouraging  us,"  they  say.  "You  are  making  a 
very  simple  matter  appear  complicated ;  an  easy  one 
seem  difficult.  Christ's  yoke  is  easy ;  Christ's  gospel 
is  plain ;  he  will  give  us  in  that  Sunday-school  hour 
what  we  are  to  say.  Your  minute  directions  as  to 
methods  of  study,  as  to  concordance  and  commentary 
and  maps,  are  flying  in  the  face  of  Providence.  The 
Spirit  bloweth  where  he  listeth." 

The  answer  to  all  this  is  simple,  and  consists  mainly 
in  an  appeal  to  experience.  Simple  and  plain  as 
Christ's  message  is,  human  lives  are  very  complicated, 
and  it  is  no  simple  matter  or  easy  task  to  lay  the 
Saviour's  simple  healing  alongside  their  varied  ills. 
Christ's  burden  is  light ;  if  it  were  heavier  it  would 
be  easier  to  get  paradoxical  humanity  to  accept  it. 
Christ  will  instruct  us  what  to  say,  provided  we  have 
so  trained  our  heart  and  brain  that  his  words  will  not 
fall  as  senseless  babble  from  our  tongues.  The  Spirit 
does  breathe  where  he  listeth,  but  the  experience  of 
these  centuries  ought  to  teach  us  that  God  is  never 
present  in  power  where  work  and  prayer  have  not 
invited  him. 

Haphazard  work  is  not  equal  to  thoughtful  work. 
369 


Sunday-School  Success 

Minute  directions  that  would  be  wasted  on  a  barn- 
painter  are  a  necessity  of  the  artist.  Impromptu 
never  yet  won  a  race  with  Preparation.  And  I 
know  that  many  a  teacher  is  mourning  over  his  empty 
hands  who  might  be  rejoicing  over  great  sheaves  if 
his  sowing  had  been  more  liberal  and  his  teaching 
more  painstaking. 

And  yet  I  sympathize  with  the  weary  discourage- 
ment of  which  all  teachers  feel  a  twinge  when  high 
ideals  of  teaching  are  held  out  before  them.  We  are 
sure  we  are  doing  our  best,  already.  It  annoys  us  to 
be  shown  a  better  best.  Our  work  is  hard  enough. 
It  troubles  us  to  be  told  that  we  must  work  harder 
before  it  can  ever  become  easy.  And  especially,  we 
are  so  confused  by  the  multiplicity  of  good  things  we 
may  do,  of  improvements  we  may  make,  that  we  do 
and  make  none  of  them. 

Now  the  secret  of  success  in  all  arts  lies  in  this: 
the  Incorporation  of  Ideas.  The  reception  of  ideas, 
the  appreciation  and  praise  of  them,  this  is  nothing, 
though  many  are  satisfied  to  stop  here;  but  the  in- 
corporation, the  embodiment  of  them,  this  makes  the 
artist.  The  artist  is  the  man  that  is  hungry  for  ideas, 
— for  the  ideal,  that  is;  the  man  that,  like  Paul, 
proves  them  all  by  the  tests  of  thought  and  experi- 
ence, and  then  holds  fast  whatever  is  good,  until  it 
has  become  part  of  himself,  until  it  is  incorporated. 

The  artist  is  a  man,  too,  that  above  all  men  knows 
the  importance  of  trifles.  The  contour  must  be 
molded  to  nature  precisely,  the  statue  finished  to  the 
270 


The  Incorporation  of  Ideas 

finger-nail,  the  machine  accurate  in  every  line  and  sur- 
face. He  will  not  try  to  attain  the  ideal  at  a  bound ; 
it  is  made  up,  he  knows,  of  many  ideas.  He  grasps 
one  idea,  and  fixes  that  forever.  Then,  he  has  power 
for  another. 

One  point  at  a  time,  then,  fellow-laborers  in  this 
blessed  work ;  one  idea  from  an  eager  throng  appeal- 
ing to  you  in  books,  lectures,  or  papers,  proved  and 
found  good,  and  then  held  fast  by  prayerful  practice, 
by  never-yielding  effort,  until  it  is  added  to  the  com- 
pany of  your  unconscious  forces.  And  then,  in  this 
power,  to  add  another  to  it!  Thus  alone  can  we 
win,  from  Christ's  university,  the  highest  of  all  de- 
gress, Masters  of  his  Art! 


271 


Chapter  XLIII 
From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

AN  egotist  is  foredoomed  to  failure  in  the  Sunday- 
school.  The  worker  that  hopes  for  success  must  cast 
to  the  winds  any  foolish  pride  in  originality,  and  seek 
far  and  wide  for  the  wisest  ideas  and  the  freshest 
methods.  A  superintendent  or  a  teacher  without  a 
notebook  is  only  half  a  superintendent  or  teacher. 
Its  pages  should  rapidly  grow  rich  with  plunder. 
The  little  white  friend  must  be  at  hand  when  he 
attends  conventions,  when  he  reads,  when  he  talks 
with  other  workers,  when  he  thinks  and  prays  over 
his  sacred  tasks. 

The  two  chapters  that  follow  are  merely  specimen 
pages  of  such  notebooks.  While  I  have  utilized  them 
to  gather  up  various  plans  and  experiences  that  could 
not  fittingly  find  place  elsewhere  in  the  book,  their 
chief  purpose  is  to  illustrate  the  wide-awake  catholicity 
that  must  animate  every  successful  worker  in  Sunday- 
schools. 

It  is  right  to  say— though  this  is  a  matter  of  course 
272 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

— that  a  large  majority  of  these  paragraphs  are  con- 
densed from  that  great  storehouse  of  Sunday-school 
lore,  the  "  Sunday-school  Times." 


Their  Own  Review.— Scholars  are  likely  to  answer 
with  special  zest  the  questions  prepared  by  other 
scholars.  One  school  asks  its  classes  in  turn  to  fur- 
nish three  questions  on  each  lesson,  which  are  pro- 
posed to  the  entire  school  at  the  close  of  the  lesson 
hour.  From  these  questions  are  selected  a  number 
for  the  quarterly  review.  They  are  "manifolded," 
and  written  answers  are  expected  from  all  present. 

Out  of  Order.— An  excellent  review  scheme  was 
arranged  by  a  superintendent  who  gave  his  school  a 
list  of  twenty-six  events  in  the  life  of  Christ,  all 
jumbled  up,  and  asked  them  to  come  next  Sunday 
prepared  to  arrange  them  in  chronological  order. 

A  School  Review.  —  For  reviewing  the  lesson  before 
the  entire  school,  select  one  class  a  week  beforehand 
and  give  it  ten  or  twelve  comprehensive  questions, 
from  the  quarterly  or  original.  At  the  close  of  the 
lesson  ask  this  class  to  rise  and  answer  the  questions 
as  another  class,  also  rising,  asks  them.  Let  all  the 
classes  take  turns  in  this  service. 

School  Reviews.  —  For  a  change,  it  is  well  to  incor- 
porate the  entire  school  in  a  general  review, — omit- 
ting, of  course,  the  younger  classes.  One  person 
may  conduct  the  review,  or  the  questions  on  each 
lesson  may  be  asked  by  a  different  teacher.  Different 
classes  may  be  assigned  special  lessons  to  illustrate 
273 


Sunday-School  Success 

by  the  concert  repetition  of  Bible  verses,  or  by  a 
stanza  of  some  song.  One  lesson  of  the  quarter  may 
be  assigned  to  each  class,  and  the  questions  that  will 
be  asked  may  be  given  to  that  class  a  week  or  two 
beforehand.  In  this  case,  general  questions  for  the 
entire  school  should  occasionally  be  interspersed. 

A  Teachers'  Supper.— Once  a  year,  at  least,  bring 
together  all  the  teachers  and  officers  around  a  well- 
filled  table.  After-dinner  speeches,  cheery  and  merry, 
may  follow,  and  then  a  pleasant  evening's  entertain- 
ment. 

The  Annual  Mcefing.-M.ake  this  an  event.  A 
supper  with  bright  speeches,  the  business  meeting  to 
follow ;  a  brisk  literary  and  musical  entertainment ;  an 
introductory  talk  by  some  practical  worker  from 
abroad,— these  are  some  of  the  ways  of  distinguishing 
the  occasion. 

Badges. — Any  Sunday-school  festival  will  be  given 
eclat  by  the  use  of  badges.  The  children  will  be 
proud  to  wear  them,  and  will  treasure  them  as  sou- 
venirs. They  may  be  made  almost  without  cost  if 
you  will  use  bright-colored  cambric,  and  print  upon 
them  with  a  hand-stamp. 

A  Sunday- School  Day.—\i  not  once  a  year,  at  least 
once  every  few  years,  it  is  well  worth  while  to  make 
the  Sunday-school  the  theme  of  all  the  exercises  on 
the  Lord's  day, — both  morning  and  evening  services, 
and  the  Christian  Endeavor  meeting.  The  subject  has 
so  many  practical  aspects  that  much  good  will  be  done 
in  addition  to  the  quickening  of  the  Sunday-school. 
274 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

TJie  Home  Department. — Simply  a  promise  to  study 
the  lesson  at  home  for  half  an  hour  each  week— that 
is  the  scheme  of  the  home  department.  You  may 
add  visitors,  records,  reports,  ad  libitum,  but  the  home 
department  may  be  complete  and  satisfactory  with- 
out these.  The  plan  is  so  simple  that  any  school  can 
use  it,  and  so  fruitful  of  blessed  results  that  no  school 
dare  neglect  it.  A  thorough  canvass  for  members  of 
the  home  department  seldom  fails  to  bring  new 
members  into  the  main  school  at  once,  and  as  the 
home  study  arouses  interest,  new  scholars  are  con- 
tinually added  from  this  source,  besides  the  scores  of 
aged  and  shut-ins  whose  lives  are  thus  led  into  the 
green  pastures  of  the  Word. 

Home  Department  Day. — On  this  occasion  a  special 
effort  is  made  to  bring  to  the  Sunday-school  the  en- 
tire home  department.  They  sit  together,  and  special 
services  are  held  in  their  honor  and  for  their  benefit. 

Parents'  Day.  —  Make  a  special  effort  once  a  year  to 
bring  out  all  the  parents  of  the  scholars.  Issue  special 
printed  invitations.  Have  a  printed  programme. 
Let  the  exercises  be  the  regular  working  of  the 
school,  with  merely  one  short  address  to  the  parents 
in  addition. 

A  Parents'  Social.  —  Parents  and  teacher  should 
know  one  another,  and  there  is  no  more  gracious 
way  to  bring  this  about  than  by  an  evening  spent 
together  at  the  teacher's  house. 

Purpose  Cards. — To  stimulate  the  school  in  needed 
ways,  have  a  "  purpose  card  "  printed.  It  will  read, 
27? 


Sunday-School  Success 

in  tabular  form,  "I  will  endeavor  to  attend  more 
faithfully,  to  prepare  my  lesson  better,  to  get  a  new 
scholar,"  etc.  Each  member  of  the  school  signs 
his  card,  marks  with  crosses  the  "purposes"  he 
makes  his  own,  and  returns  the  card  to  the  superin- 
tendent. 

Installing  the  New  Officers. — This  should  be  done 
with  some  ceremony,  including  a  very  short  address 
by  the  pastor,  another  by  the  outgoing  superintendent 
or  prominent  officer,  another  by  a  representative  of 
the  incoming  group,  and  an  earnest  prayer, — all  to 
occupy  no  more  than  ten  minutes.  The  scholars  will 
have  more  respect  for  leaders  thus  honored,  and  the 
officers  themselves  will  be  more  likely  to  magnify 
their  office. 

The  Old  Superintendent. — Some  schools  elevate  the 
assistant  superintendent  regularly  to  the  superinten- 
dency.  Other  schools  adopt  the  opposite  course,  and 
make  the  superintendent  of  one  year  the  assistant 
superintendent  of  the  next.  Either  plan  secures  con- 
tinuity of  method. 

A  True  Assistant.— The  assistant  superintendent 
should  be  prepared  to  do,  in  the  superintendent's 
absence,  everything  the  superintendent  ordinarily 
does.  How  can  he  be  prepared  to  do  this  unless  the 
superintendent  regularly  shares  all  kinds  of  work  with 
his  assistant? 

Help  from  the  Public  School.— In  most  communities 
a  very  inspiring  series  of  lectures  might  be  obtained 
from  Christian  teachers  in  the  secular  schools  and 
276 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

colleges,  the  purpose  of  each  lecture  being  to  show 
how,  according  to  the  best  pedagogical  methods,  a 
certain  lesson  might  be  taught,  or  Sunday-school 
teaching  in  general  be  carried  on. 

Flowers  at  Home. — You  will  delight  your  school, 
and  teach  them  many  lessons,  if  you  give  each  scholar 
— or  get  the  teachers  to  do  this — a  bulb,  a  package 
of  seeds,  or  a  small  potted  plant  like  a  rose.  Hold 
an  exhibition  to  show  the  results,  and  then  have  the 
flowers  given  to  the  sick,  the  hospitals,  the  poor,  or 
sold  for  missions. 

Easter  Lilies. — A  few  cents  invested  in  lily  bulbs 
will  make  a  beautiful  Easter  for  your  school.  Give 
one  to  each  scholar  for  him  to  raise,  or,  possibly,  one 
to  each  class.  The  flowers,  after  Easter  Sunday,  are 
to  be  sent  to  the  aged,  the  sick,  and  the  poor. 

An  Easter  Gift. — Some  Sunday-schools  give  each 
scholar,  on  Easter  day,  a  little  rosebush  or  a  package 
of  seeds,  that  they  may  be  tended  and  urged  to  bloom 
by  Children's  Day,  when  they  are  all  brought  in. 

Vacation  Transfers. — Some  schools,  when  their 
scholars  leave  for  a  vacation,  give  them  letters  to 
schools  where  they  will  visit.  These  are  printed  forms, 
and  include  a  detachable  blank  report,  which,  when 
filled  out  and  returned,  will  show  the  scholar's  atten- 
dance on  the  other  school  during  his  absence. 

Planned  Prayer- Meetings. — It  will  greatly  promote 

the  devotional  character  of  your  school  if  you  take 

twenty  minutes  each  month  for  a  prayer-meeting. 

Select  four  or  five  to  offer  prayer,  and  have  them  sit 

277 


Sunday-School  Success 

on  the  platform.  A  brief,  tender  talk  from  the  super- 
intendent and  bright  singing  will  complete  a  memor- 
able meeting. 

A  Carryall.  — \  have  heard  of  Sunday-schools  that 
maintained  omnibuses  or  large  carriages,  to  gather  up 
and  carry  to  the  school  children  whose  homes  were  so 
far  away  that  they  could  not  otherwise  attend. 

Neighborhood  ScJiools. — Distant  groups  of  farmers' 
families,  and  others  that  cannot  reach  the  school, 
should  be  organized  in  neighborhood  Sunday-schools. 

A  New  Object  Each  Month. — The  scholars'  offer- 
ings should  be  an  education  not  only  in  the  instinct 
of  giving,  but  also  in  the  intelligent  choice  of  objects 
for  giving.  Every  Sunday-school  should  have  a 
benevolence  committee,  which  carefully  selects  for 
each  month  a  new  object  of  beneficence.  On  the 
last  Sabbath  of  each  month  a  word  should  be  said 
about  the  object  that  appeals  for  the  gifts  of  the  next 
month.  This  brief  account  should,  of  course,  be 
supplemented  by  the  teachers  in  their  classes. 

The  Envelope  System. — This  plan  of  giving,  which 
has  done  so  much  for  our  churches,  should  be  used 
everywhere  in  the  Sunday-school.  Give  each  class 
a  number  and  each  scholar  a  set  of  dated  envelopes, 
one  for  each  Sunday,  bearing  his  class  number.  Call 
for  a  contribution  from  each  scholar  each  Sunday. 
Urge  that  all  absent  scholars  send  their  contribu- 
tions, or  bring  them  the  next  Sunday.  From  this 
systematic  giving  you  may  go  on  to  proportionate  giving 
by  impressing  on  the  scholars  their  duty  to  set  apart 
278 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

for  God  some  regular  proportion,  say  one  tenth,  of 
all  the  money  they  receive.  If  the  school  takes  up 
monthly  collections  for  special  benevolent  objects, 
the  envelopes  for  these  Sundays  may  be  of  a  different 
color.  If,  as  should  always  be  the  case,  the  expenses 
of  the  school  are  met  by  the  church,  leaving  the  entire 
school  collections  to  be  devoted  to  missions  and 
charitable  causes,  the  school  committee  on  benevo- 
lences may  select  a  different  object  of  giving  for  each 
month.  This  object  should  then  be  written  on  each 
envelope  for  that  month. 

A  Jug-Breaking.  —  One  of  the  best  ways  of  teaching 
children  the  value  of  little  gifts  and  the  importance 
of  weekly  savings  for  Christ's  cause  is  by  the  collec- 
tion of  money  in  jugs.  Set  before  them  at  the  start 
some  object  for  their  gifts,  that  they  may  think  and 
talk  about  it  while  they  are  saving;  otherwise  their 
minds  are  lifted  no  higher  than  their  money.  And 
how  they  will  enjoy  the  jug-breaking! 

Class-Books.—Noi  records  of  class  attendance,  but 
books  for  the  library,  paid  for  by  the  various  classes, 
selected  by  these  so  far  as  their  choice  seems  wise, 
and  each  of  them  bearing  an  inscription  telling  what 
class  presented  it  to  the  school.  Such  gifts  give  the 
scholars  a  personal  interest  in  the  library  they  have 
helped  to  create. 

Loan  Libraries.— Instead  of  giving  away  the  books 

your  school  has  thoroughly  read,  loan  them,  in  groups 

of  fifty  or  so,  to  poorer  schools.     They  will  return 

them  in  good  condition,  and  by  that  time  there  will 

279 


Sunday-School  Success 

be  many  new  scholars  in  your  own  school  to  whom 
the  books  will  be  fresh. 

Exchange  Libraries.— There  is  no  reason  why  neigh- 
boring schools,  if  their  library  funds  are  low,  should 
not  arrange  to  buy  different  books,  and  then  exchange 
them  after  the  original  purchasers  have  used  them 
for  a  year.  All  the  schools  in  a  town  or  township 
might  well  combine  in  an  arrangement  so  economical. 

Receiving  the  New  Books, — The  library  will  be  ad- 
vertised if  the  reception  of  new  books  is  made  an 
event.  They  may  be  put  in  a  public  place,  all  at  one 
time,  and  formally  presented  to  the  school  by  pastor 
or  superintendent,  with  a  word  about  each.  This  may 
be  done  at  Christmas,  Easter,  Children's  Day,  Thanks- 
giving, at  any  one  or  all  of  these  holiday  seasons. 

Honor  the  Donors. — A  special  and  attractive  label 
for  books  presented  to  the  library,  with  a  space  for  the 
name  of  the  person  that  makes  the  gift,  will  greatly 
increase  the  number  of  books  received  in  this  way. 

Their  Own  Paper.— A  large  Sunday-school  may 
publish  a  little  weekly  or  monthly  paper,  the  adver- 
tisements paying  the  bills.  The  older  scholars  will 
be  interested  in  doing  the  work.  The  notes  about 
the  various  classes,  the  library,  the  contributions,  the 
school  work,  will  all  prove  stimulating. 

Sunday- School  Calendars. — A  good  standing  ad- 
vertisement of  the  school  in  any  home  would  be  a 
neat  calendar  of  the  year,  bordered  with  facts  about 
the  school,  invitations,  pictures  of  church,  pastor, 
Sunday-school  officers,  and  the  like. 
280 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

A  Bulletin  Board.— A  conspicuous  bulletin  board, 
placed  at  the  entrance,  will  save  giving  out  many  a 
notice. 

The  Notices.— The  wise  superintendent  will  plan 
every  word  he  is  to  say  before  the  school,  even — yea, 
especially !  —  the  giving  of  the  notices.  These  notices 
will  be  the  fewest  possible ;  don't  let  the  Sunday-school 
be  used  as  a  bill-board.  Announce  only  what  you 
want  the  scholars  to  remember,  and  in  such  a  bright 
way  that  they  can't  forget  it.  And  don't  discredit 
your  perspicuity  and  their  attention  by  announcing 
it  more  than  once. 

Protect  the  Teacfor.—One  of  the  most  important  of 
the  superintendent's  duties  is  to  protect  the  teacher 
from  interruption  during  the  recitation  hour.  A 
similar  duty  is  to  see  that  the  time  for  the  recitation 
suffers  no  diminution  through  the  tardiness  or  pro- 
lixity of  himself  or  any  one  else. 

Substitute  Groups.— The  work  of  "substituting" 
may  well  be  divided  up.  Ask  a  set  of  older  scholars 
to  be  ready  to  substitute  on  the  first  Sunday  of  each 
month,  another  set  on  the  second  Sunday,  and  so  on. 

The  Pastor  as  Substitute.  —  Certainly  the  pastor 
should  not  take  a  Sunday-school  class  of  his  own. 
That  would  be  unfair  to  the  rest  of  the  school  and 
the  church.  But  he  would  get  into  helpful  contact 
with  a  large  number  of  people,  young  and  old,  if  he 
should  act  every  Sunday  as  a  substitute  teacher,  now 
in  this  class  and  now  in  that. 

A  Five-Minute  Meeting.— A  few  minutes  of  con- 
281 


Sunday-School  Success 

ference,  immediately  after  the  session  of  the  school, 
will  be  a  great  help  and  stimulus  to  the  teachers. 
One  will  ask  help  in  a  difficulty,  another  will  report 
a  method  just  proved  successful.  Everything  will 
come  fresh  and  vital  from  living  experience. 

How  Many  Absent?  —  Often  let  the  secretary,  in 
his  report  to  the  school,  state  only  the  number  absent 
from  each  class  and  department.  He  will  thus 
change  the  emphasis,  and  arouse  a  new  and  profitable 
interest. 

A  Roll-Call. — It  takes  time,  but  at  long  intervals  a 
public  roll-call  of  the  entire  school  is  worth  while. 
Of  course  it  should  be  well  advertised  beforehand, 
and  the  entire  membership  will  wish  to  be  present. 
Then  make  the  hour  so  delightful  that  they  will  not 
think  of  staying  away  thereafter. 

Honor  Rolls. — Hang  a  large  sheet  of  paper  in  a 
conspicuous  position,  and  announce  that  you  will 
print  upon  it  the  name  of  every  one  that  brings  in  a 
new  scholar.  A  red  paper  star  after  the  name  signi- 
fies one  new  scholar,  a  blue  star  a  second  scholar, 
and  so  on.  A  similar  roll  may  be  used  to  honor 
perfect  attendance,  stars  of  different  colors  being 
used  for  the  different  quarters. 

Gold  and  Silver  Stars.— There  are  well-based  ob- 
jections to  any  distinction  of  one  class  above  another, 
but  a  plan  that  will  be  found  very  valuable,  at  least 
as  a  temporary  stimulus,  is  this :  Honor  with  a  large 
silver  star  every  class  that  has  all  its  members  present, 
and  with  a  gold  star  each  class  that  reports  all  its 
282 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

members  bringing  Bibles,  and  that  all  have  studied 
the  lesson  at  least  twenty  minutes. 

An  Asterisk.— II  by  banners  or  in  other  ways  you 
honor  regular  attendance,  there  will  be  a  tendency  to 
drop  absent  scholars  from  the  rolls  too  quickly,  be- 
cause they  lower  the  standard  of  their  classes.  An 
excellent  way  of  getting  around  this  difficulty  is  to 
"star"  the  name  of  every  scholar  that  has  been 
absent  a  month.  This  asterisk  means  that  the  name 
is  not  to  be  counted  in  making  up  the  report,  but  the 
presence  of  the  name  on  the  list  means  that  the  scholar 
is  not  to  be  forgotten  or  neglected. 

To  Console  Him. — One  bright  superintendent 
scorns  to  give  a  reward  or  prize  for  new  scholars, 
but  presents  a  nice  leather-bound  Bible,  by  way  of 
compensation,  to  each  scholar  that  for  any  cause  is 
luckless  enough  to  leave  his  school ! 

A  Spur. — Enforce  punctuality  by  a  large  placard 
hung  in  front  of  the  school,  and  reading,  "You 
are  early."  When  the  school  opens  the  card  is 
turned,  and  now  reads,  in  staring  letters,  "You  are 
late!" 

A  Question  Drill. — This  is  a  good  plan  for  teachers' 
meetings.  The  teachers  should  ask  questions  on  each 
verse,  turn  about,  and  the  leader  should  criticise  the 
questions. 

Teachers' -Meeting  Roll-Call.— To  insure  previous 

study  of  the  lesson,  and  to  accustom  the  teachers  to 

take  part  in  the  meeting,  let  the  roll  be  called  every 

week,  and  require  each  teacher  to  respond  with  some 

283 


Sunday-School  Success 

thought  concerning  the  lesson,  usually  a  comment  on 
some  particular  verse. 

Attendance  on  the  Teachers1  Meeting. — It  will  prove 
a  helpful  spur  if  this  attendance  is  recorded  regularly, 
and  incorporated  in  all  the  reports  made  by  the 
secretary  to  the  school. 

Union  Teachers'  Meetings. — If  you  cannot  have  a 
teachers'  meeting  for  your  Sunday-school  alone,  be- 
cause you  have  no  good  leader,  you  can  probably  find 
a  good  leader  in  some  neighboring  church,  and  can 
give  him  and  yourselves  the  stimulus  of  a  large  union 
gathering.  This  plan  has  many  advantages,  notably 
the  opportunity  for  the  comparison  of  methods.  It 
has  one  great  disadvantage :  the  work  cannot  apply 
so  particularly  to  your  individual  school. 

A  Reception  Class.— New  scholars  may  all  be 
placed  in  a  "reception  class,"  until  their  ability, 
knowledge,  and  character  can  be  learned. 

A  Visitors'  Register. — This  is  for  the  names  and 
home  addresses  of  all  visitors.  The  little  attention 
required  to  obtain  these  autographs  pleases  them  and 
their  friends,  and  breaks  the  ice  for  further  acquain- 
tance. The  register  should  be  kept  open  on  some  table 
in  a  central  spot,  with  pen  and  ink  always  at  hand. 

An  Address-Book. — This  should  contain,  under 
proper  and  convenient  classifications,  the  addresses 
of  all  scholars,  teachers,  and  officers,  past  and  present. 
It  should  always  be  kept  in  the  church,  and  many 
will  be  the  references  to  it. 

A  Cradle  Roll.— This  contains  the  names  of  the 
284 


From  a  Superintendent's  Notebook 

babies  of  the  church,  for  each  of  whom  his  mother  is 
given  a  certificate  of  membership.  This  roll  is  read 
once  in  a  while  before  the  primary  class. 

Individual  Histories. — At  least  one  school  has 
enough  personal  interest  in  its  scholars  to  keep  a 
history  of  each,  in  a  book  properly  arranged  for  that 
purpose.  This  history  includes  the  date  of  the 
scholar's  joining  the  school  and  of  his  promotion  to 
the  various  higher  departments  thereof,  his  birthday 
and  the  names  of  his  parents,  their  church-member- 
ship, where  the  scholar  lived  when  he  joined  the 
church,  whom  he  married  and  when,  his  business,  the 
date  of  his  removal  and  the  city  to  which  he  went, 
together  with  other  and  special  facts. 

District  Reporters.—  Appoint  one  scholar  or  teacher 
to  watch  each  street  in  town,— preferably,  of  course, 
the  street  on  which  he  resides, — and  report  promptly 
all  newcomers,  that  they  may  be  invited  to  the 
Sunday-school. 

TJie  Opening  Prayer. — Let  the  ushers  admit  no  one 
till  it  is  over.  Do  not  begin,  or  permit  any  one  else 
to  begin  this  prayer,  till  every  head  is  bowed.  Do 
not  ask  any  one  to  offer  this  prayer  without  giving 
long  notice ;  no  haphazard  prayer  will  answer. 

Their  Own  Bibles. — A  Bible  in  the  hands  of  every 
scholar,— this  alone  makes  possible  variety  and  zest 
in  the  opening  of  the  school. 

Lesson  Introductions. — In  small  schools  it  has  often 
been  found  profitable  for  the  superintendent  to  spend 
ten  or  fifteen  minutes  teaching  to  the  entire  school 
385 


Sunday-School  Success 

(with  the  exception  of  the  primary  department)  the 
historical  and  similar  details  of  the  lesson.  The 
teachers  then  add  the  lesson  truths,  teaching  their 
individual  classes. 

Varying  Programmes. — If  the  opening  exercises  of 
the  school  get  into  a  rut,  it  is  hard  for  the  teachers 
to  lift  the  school  out  of  it.  Some  wise  superintendents 
plan  these  exercises  for  weeks  ahead,  keeping  careful 
record,  and  thus  avoid  monotony. 

An  Impressive  Close. — One  school  closes  its  service 
with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  repeated  by  all  as  they  stand. 
Then  the  school  is  seated,  and  waits  in  silence  while 
the  ushers,  walking  slowly  up  the  aisles,  dismiss  each 
class  in  turn. 

A  Closing  Prayer. — Here  is  a  beautiful  prayer  to 
be  repeated  in  concert  at  the  close  of  school :  "  May 
the  light  of  thy  Word,  O  Lord,  dwell  in  us  richly, 
and  guide  us  day  by  day.  Amen." 

Scripture  in  Closing.— To  incite  to  Scripture  memo- 
rizing, close  the  school  with  Bible  verses  repeated  by 
all  the  scholars.  Let  each  class  in  turn  select  the 
subject,  such  as  "  temperance,"  "  obedience,"  "  love," 
and  announce  it  a  week  in  advance. 

The  Teachers  before  the  School.— Now  and  then 
ask  some  teacher  to  say  a  few  words  to  the  entire 
school  at  the  close  of  the  session,  summing  up  the 
most  important  teachings  of  the  hour.  This  gives 
the  whole  school  a  bit  of  inspiration  from  each  teacher 
in  turn,  and  gives  to  each  teacher  the  inspiration  of 
talking  to  the  whole  school. 
286 


Chapter  XLIV 
From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

Birthday  Letters.— Little  children  will  prize  highly 
a  cordial,  loving  letter  written  to  them  by  their  teacher 
on  their  birthday.  Doubtless  the  very  oldest  scholars 
in  the  school  will  prize  such  a  letter  as  much,  if  not 
even  more.  There  should  be  no  preachment  in  these 
letters,  no  hitting  at  peculiar  sins ;  just  fill  them  with 
Christian  sunshine.  A  birthday  prayer  in  the  class, 
short,  simple,  earnest,  will  clinch  to  the  scholar  the 
lessons  of  the  day. 

Class  Letters.— When  the  teacher  is  away  on  a 
vacation  or  for  other  reasons,  a  letter  sent  each  week 
to  some  member  of  the  class,  taking  the  scholars  in 
order,  will  be  shared  with  the  other  scholars,  and  will 
strengthen  the  bond  that  the  absence  might  have 
weakened  or  broken. 

Teaching  by   Correspondence.— When   the   teacher 

must  be  absent,  if  she  cannot  find  a  good  substitute, 

and  the  class  is  of  a  suitable  age  for  the  plan,  let  her 

send  a  letter  containing  a  few  thoughts  on  the  lesson, 

287 


Sunday-School  Success 

together  with  many  questions,  which  the  class  are  to 
discuss,  and  for  which,  after  joint  consultation,  they 
will  prepare  written  answers,  to  be  sent  to  the  teacher. 

The  Lesson  Message.— Do  you  fear  that  the  central 
truth  of  the  lesson  may  not  be  impressed  on  your 
class,  either  through  your  forgetfulness  or  because 
you  lack  time?  Then  write  out  for  each  scholar  a 
sentence  or  two  of  exhortation,  with  a  request  that  he 
read  a  certain  appropriate  passage  of  the  Bible.  Place 
these  messages  in  envelopes,  and  distribute  them  at 
the  close  of  the  lesson. 

A  Teacher's  Loan. — If  you  have  found  a  book  that 
would  be  especially  helpful  to  your  class,  by  all  means, 
if  you  can  afford  it,  buy  a  copy,  circulate  it  among 
the  class,  and,  after  all  your  scholars  have  read  it, 
present  it  to  the  library. 

Birthdays  of  the  Great.— Utilize  in  your  teaching 
not  only  Washington's  birthday  and  Lincoln's,  but 
the  birthday  of  any  great  man  whose  life  may  help  to 
point  the  moral  of  the  day's  lesson.  For  this  purpose, 
one  of  the  many  "  birthday-books  "  is  of  value  for 
reference. 

A  Magazine  Club.— The  members  of  a  Sunday- 
school  class  have  similar  interests,  and  an  ideal  maga- 
zine and  paper  club  may  be  organized  among  them. 
Incidentally,  it  will  enable  the  teacher  to  direct  much 
of  their  reading.  The  periodicals  subscribed  for  are 
to  be  passed  around  in  a  specified  order,  kept  at  each 
house  a  definite  time,  and  each  finally  retained  by 
some  member  of  the  class. 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

Class  Names.— It  will  prove  an  inspiration  to  any 
class  to  have  a  good  name,  such  as  "  Earnest  Seekers," 
"  Willing  Workers,"  "  The  Joshua  Band,"  "  Daughters 
of  Ruth." 

five-Minute  Preludes. — Brief  preludes  on  current 
topics  or  practically  helpful  points  connected  with  the 
lesson  theme  may  be  found  valuable  in  the  Bible 
class,  just  as  similar  preludes  have  proved  useful  in 
the  preaching  service. 

Independence.— Occasionally  request  the  class  to 
prepare  so  thoroughly  that  they  can  leave  at  home 
the  quarterly,  lesson  leaf,  even  the  Bible  itself.  The 
teacher  also  will  do  this ;  and  if  he  improves  his  op- 
portunity, this  thorough  storing  of  the  mind  may 
result  in  a  recitation  so  delightful  that  the  class  will 
adopt  the  plan  enthusiastically  for  the  future. 

Her  "Funny  Box"—h.  teacher  tells  how  she 
lightened  the  occasional  sickness  of  her  scholars  by 
carrying  to  them  what  they  called  her  "  funny  box," 
which  held  fruit  and  flowers,  with  scores  of  merry 
jokes  clipped  from  the  papers,  peanuts  marked  with 
comical  faces,  and  a  Bible  verse  or  two  on  the  inside 
of  the  cover. 

A  Review  Picture-Gallery.—\i  you  have  been  using 
the  blackboard  during  the  quarter,  try  a  blackboard 
review.  Draw  twelve  picture-frames,  and  call  up  the 
scholars  one  by  one,  asking  each  to  fill  in  one  of  the 
frames  with  what  he  remembers  of  the  blackboard 
work  of  that  lesson.  It  may  be  necessary  for  the 
teacher  to  remind  the  scholar  what  the  design  was, 
289 


Sunday-School  Success 

and  to  help  him  draw  it,  or  the  entire  class  may  be 
asked  to  give  this  assistance. 

An  Essay  Review. — Divide  the  lessons  of  the 
quarter  among  your  scholars,  so  that  each  will  write 
an  essay  on  some  one  lesson ;  or,  if  your  class  is  too 
small  for  that,  assign  two  lessons  apiece  to  some  of 
the  scholars.  Limit  them  as  to  time,  but  let  each 
choose  his  line  of  treatment. 

Silent  Prayers. — If  we  always  word  the  children's 
prayers  for  them,  they  will  be  unlikely  ever  to  word 
prayers  for  themselves.  Often  request  them  to  bow 
their  heads  and  in  silence  to  ask  the  Father  for  what 
they  need  and  thank  him  for  his  kindness. 

Class  Prayers.— Why  should  not  every  class  recita- 
tion be  opened  with  a  brief  prayer,  and  often  close 
with  one?  Yes,  and  when  the  talk  in  the  middle  of 
the  lesson  becomes  especially  earnest,  prayer  is  the 
best  means  of  binding  the  truth  to  the  lives  of  your 
scholars. 

A  Prayer  Calendar.— This  is  a  list  of  the  scholars 
in  your  class,  plus  the  name  of  the  teacher,  divided 
among  the  days  of  the  week,  that  of  the  teacher  falling 
on  Sunday.  The  whole  is  headed  with  a  promise  to 
pray  each  day  for  the  persons  named  for  that  day. 
Each  of  the  scholars  has  a  copy,  and  signs  it. 

Pegs.  —  Draw  a  good-sized  map  of  the  country  you 
are  studying,  and  mount  it  on  a  board.  With  a 
gimlet  bore  holes  wherever  there  is  an  important 
town,  mountain,  lake,  or  other  geographical  feature 
whose  location  you  wish  your  scholars  to  learn.  Fit 
290 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

pegs  into  these  holes,  and  color  the  pegs  white  for 
the  mountains,  red  for  the  cities,  blue  for  the  bodies 
of  water.  Teach  the  scholars,  as  you  call  for  Hebron, 
for  instance,  to  place  a  red  peg  in  the  proper  hole, 
and  thus  to  use  the  map. 

Dissected  Maps. — Paste  a  good-sized  map  of  the 
desired  country  on  thick  cardboard  or  pasteboard. 
If  you  cannot  get  a  large  enough  map,  draw  one 
yourself,  and  in  the  process  you  will  learn  much 
geography.  Then  cut  the  map  into  irregular  pieces, 
and  present  it  to  the  younger  classes  for  them  to  fit 
together. 

Putty  Maps.— With  a  board  foundation  and  a  good 
map  for  a  guide,  any  teacher  can  build  up  a  relief 
map  of  Palestine  out  of  putty.  Paint  the  water  blue, 
the  sandy  portions  yellow,  the  fertile  plains  green, 
the  mountains  white  or  gray,  the  cities  red.  Letter 
with  black. 

Colors  and  Places. — A  good  way  to  aid  the  chil- 
dren's memory  as  to  the  location  of  the  various  lessons 
of  the  quarter  is  to  write  on  the  blackboard  the  title 
of  each  lesson  as  it  comes,  using  each  week  a  different 
color,  and  pinning  to  an  outline  map,  at  the  same  time, 
a  scrap  of  paper  of  the  same  color.  Of  course,  if  a 
later  lesson  falls  at  the  same  place,  the  old  color  will 
be  used  in  writing  its  title. 

Home  Drawings. — Some  teachers  wisely  require 

their  scholars  to  reproduce  at  home  what  they  can 

remember  of  the  blackboard  work  of  the  day,  and 

bring  in  the  result  the  next  Sunday.     The  test  is  one 

291 


Sunday-School  Success 

for  the  teacher's  blackboard  work  as  well  as  for  the 
scholars'  memory. 

Utilizing  your  Reading. — Every  teacher  should 
keep  either  a  wide-margin  Bible,  or  an  interleaved 
Bible,  solely  to  note  the  helps  on  Bible  texts  he  may 
note  in  his  reading.  If  the  book  or  periodical  is 
your  own,  simply  set  down  the  page  opposite  the 
Bible  verse.  Some  may  prefer  a  system  of  envelopes, 
one  for  each  book  of  the  Bible,  in  which  clippings 
may  be  filed,  as  well  as  slips  of  paper  containing 
references  to  books. 

One  Way  of  Preparing.— Cut  up  the  Scripture  text 
found  on  a  lesson  leaf,  and  paste  the  verses  on  large 
sheets  of  paper,  leaving  liberal  space  around  each. 
In  this  space  write  your  own  comments,  and  the  sug- 
gestions you  glean  from  your  reading. 

On  the  Spot. — If  one  of  your  scholars  is  reported 
sick,  why  not  pen — m  pencil — a  little  note  immedi- 
ately, with  the  aid  of  the  class,  and  send  it  to  the 
sick  scholar  at  the  close  of  the  school?  A  message 
thus  written  will  move  graciously  upon  the  class  as 
well  as  upon  the  recipient. 

Prompt  Investigation.—11  A  stitch  in  time  saves 
nine."  Apply  this  maxim  to  your  scholar's  first 
absence,  and  look  him  up  at  once. 

Lookout  Committees.— Divide  each  class  into  three 
companies.  Company  A  will  seek  recruits  for  the 
class,  Company  B  will  hunt  up  absentees,  and  Com- 
pany C  will  do  hospital  service  among  the  sick. 
Require  regular  reports. 

292 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

Reports  of  Study.— Some  teachers  issue  to  their 
scholars  blank  reports,  which  they  return,  filled  out, 
each  Sunday.  These  reports  tell  whether  they  have 
studied  the  lesson  for  ten  minutes  each  day,  and  what 
•verses  of  the  lesson  they  do  not  understand. 

Reports  to  Parents.— The  work  done  in  Sunday- 
school  should  be  so  definite  that  it  can  be  reported. 
Certain  points  should  be  required  to  be  learned  in 
each  lesson,  and  when  they  are  well  recited,  or  when 
they  are  not  recited,  the  parents  should  know  of  it. 
Regular  monthly  or  quarterly  reports,  sent  by  postal- 
card,  will  stimulate  the  scholar  to  learn  better,  the 
parents  to  help  him  study,  and  the  teacher  to  teach 
with  system,  definiteness,  and  persistency. 

Collection  and  Record. — Give  the  mother,  for  her 
child,  fifty-two  little  envelopes  in  which  to  put  a 
year's  pennies  or  nickels.  Each  child's  envelopes 
are  given  a  number,  so  that  the  collection  is  also  a 
record  of  attendance. 

More  than  a  Straight  Mark. — A  simple  but  com- 
plete record  may  be  made  by  a  few  strokes  of  the 
pencil.  A  cross  has  been  suggested.  The  upper  arm 
signifies  "present";  the  lower  arm,  "prompt";  the 
left-hand  arm,  "  the  lesson  learned,"  according  to  a 
definite  standard;  the  right-hand  arm,  "present  at 
church."  If  the  scholar  has  failed  in  one  or  more  of 
these  points,  the  corresponding  arms  are  omitted  from 
the  cross. 

Class  Photographs.—  With  your  own  camera  or 
some  friend's  take  a  group  picture  of  your  class  once 
293 


Sunday-School  Success 

a  year.  You  may  give  them  at  that  time  a  pleasant 
"  photograph  party,"  or  take  an  excursion  together  to 
some  place,  there  to  be  photographed.  Each  scholar 
should  have  a  copy  of  the  resulting  picture.  It  will 
be  delightful  if  all  the  classes  can  thus  be  photo- 
graphed, and  an  exhibition  arranged  of  the  entire 
series  of  pictures,  which  then  becomes  the  property 
of  the  school. 

Holidays  Together. — A  teacher  especially  success- 
ful in  holding  together  a  class  of  boys  is  in  the  habit 
of  taking  them  with  him  on  all  sorts  of  excursions,— 
to  libraries,  museums,  points  of  historical  interest,  on 
sleigh-rides,  to  hear  illustrated  lectures.  And  often 
he  arranges  for  them  merry  parties  at  his  home. 

A  Class  Symbol. — Some  concrete  token,  presented 
when  the  new  scholar  joins  the  class,  will  greatly  help 
to  cement  the  relationship.  This  may  be  a  little 
book,  a  ribbon  book-mark,  an  illuminated  Scripture 
card,  a  simple  emblematic  pin.  Whatever  it  is,  it 
should  be  the  same  for  all,  that  it  may  serve  as  a  sort 
of  class  badge. 

Introduction  Cards.— These  are  of  use  to  make  new 
scholars  acquainted  with  their  classmates.  The  card 
contains  the  names  of  Sunday-school,  teacher,  and 
all  the  scholars,  that  of  the  new  scholar  being  last, 
with  the  date  of  entrance.  The  whole  is  of  immediate 
service  to  the  new  member,  and  is  sure  to  be  preserved 
as  a  pleasant  memento. 

A  Work  for  Each.— Enlist  each  of  your  scholars 
in  some  definite  and  individual  work  for  Christ.  One 
294 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

may  gather  up  old  periodicals  for  the  seamen,  one 
may  be  interested  in  a  children's  hospital,  one  may 
collect  partly  worn  garments  for  the  poor.  At  each 
meeting  of  the  class  call  for  brief  reports  of  these 
special  lines  of  work.  There  could  be  no  better 
commentary  on  the  lessons  your  scholars  are  studying. 

Substitute  Teachers.— Tut  teachers  should  obtain 
their  own  substitutes,  whenever  possible.  If  the 
superintendent  makes  it  clear  that  he  expects  this,  it 
will  usually  be  done.  In  the  process  of  obtaining  the 
substitute,  too,  the  teacher  will  probably  gain  fresh 
sympathy  and  consideration  for  the  superintendent. 

A  Class  Historian. — Appoint  one  scholar  to  this 
office.  Ask  him  to  keep  track  of  the  old  members, 
and  report  any  interesting  news  concerning  them,  at 
the  same  time  keeping  a  record. 

Essays. — Your  scholars  will  appreciate  the  honor 
if  asked  to  prepare  essays  now  and  then  on  special 
points  in  the  lessons,  such  as  "Jewish  customs  re- 
garding Sunday,"  "The  city  of  Antioch,"  "What  the 
Bible  teaches  about  temperance."  Such  essays 
should  be  very  brief. 

Supplemental  Zessons.—The  very  interest  aroused 
by  the  International  Lessons  calls  often  for  supple- 
mentary lessons,  dealing  with  such  topics  as  the  origin 
of  the  Bible,  Bible  geography,  the  Christian  doctrines. 
Ten  minutes  preceding  the  regular  lesson  may  be 
spent  on  such  themes,  and  a  great  deal  thus  learned 
in  the  course  of  the  year. 

An  Expedient.— \i  a  boy  is  especially  mischievous 
295 


Sunday-School  Success 

and  restless,  make  him  an  usher  and  set  him  to  keep- 
ing the  rest  in  order. 

A  Study  Outline. — Each  member  of  a  certain  class 
was  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the  following  excellent 
programme  for  home  study  of  the  lesson :  "  i.  Inter- 
vening events.  2.  Time.  3.  Place.  4.  Persons. 
5.  Incidents.  6.  Parallel  passages  and  Scripture 
references.  7.  Difficulties.  8.  Doctrines  and  duties. 
9.  Central  thought.  10.  Personal  application — to 
myself,  to  others." 

Question-Books. — Blank-books  in  which  questions 
on  the  lesson  have  been  written,  with  spaces  for 
answers,  may  profitably  be  used  even  in  very  young 
classes.  The  answers  should  be  written  immediately 
on  the  conclusion  of  the  teaching,  or  even,  question 
by  question,  as  the  teaching  proceeds.  In  older 
classes,  the  questions  may  be  set  before  the  class  a 
week  later,  and  may  introduce  the  next  lesson,  by 
way  of  review. 

Home-Made  Question-Books. — To  induce  your 
scholars  to  study  at  home,  provide  for  each  of  them 
two  little  blank-books.  Write  a  question  in  one,  and 
request  the  return  of  the  book  next  Sunday  with  the 
answer  written  out.  Exchange  it  for  the  second 
book,  and  so  alternate.  Wise  teachers  will  slip  into 
such  books  many  a  personal  word  of  praise  or  exhor- 
tation. 

A  Question  Formula. — Ask  each  member  of  the 
class  to  bring  you,  every  Sunday,  written  answers  to 
a  set  of  questions  so  general  that,  once  dictated,  they 
296 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

will  serve  for  all  lessons ;  for  instance :  "  When  oc- 
curred the  events  of  our  lesson?  What  is  a  brief 
synopsis  of  our  lesson?  What  is  its  principal  teach- 
ing? Which  is  your  favorite  verse  in  it,  and  why?  " 
These  answers  should  be  discussed  in  the  class. 

Trained  as  Questioners. — In  most  schools  there  is 
no  normal  class,  and  if  the  teachers  do  not  train  their 
scholars  to  teach,  the  next  generation  of  teachers  in 
that  school  will  be  untrained.  The  class  should  be 
taught  how  to  ask  questions,  and  probably  the  best 
way  to  do  this  is  to  have  them  occupy  a  few  minutes 
at  the  beginning  of  each  recitation  questioning  one 
another  on  the  previous  lesson. 

A  Choice  of  Questions. — For  this  exercise  the 
teacher  writes  a  number  of  questions,  which  she 
brings  to  the  class.  Each  scholar  in  turn  is  permitted 
to  select  a  question,  which  he  will  propound  to  any 
of  his  classmates  he  may  pick  out. 

The  "Bible  Library."— This  is  a  help  to  learning 
the  order  of  the  books  of  the  Bible,  and  consists  ot 
sixty-six  wooden  blocks,  painted  and  lettered  to  repre- 
sent books,  and  varying  in  thickness  with  the  size  of 
the  various  books  of  the  Bible.  The  poetical  books 
are  "  bound  "  in  the  same  style,  the  minor  prophets 
in  a  different  style,  and  so  with  other  "  sets."  These 
imitation  books  are  kept  on  shelves,  from  which  they 
are  taken  by  the  children,  to  be  replaced  in  the  cor- 
rect order. 

Bible-Reading  Lessons. — Many  scholars  read  the 
Bible  wretchedly ;  they  have  never  been  taught  how. 
297 


Sunday-School  Success 

If  this  is  the  case  with  your  class,  have  them  read  the 
lesson,  verse  about,  before  you  discuss  it.  After  the 
reading,  criticise  it,  and  have  them  repeat  it. 

Two  Bibles.— If  the  scholars  will  not  bring  their 
Bibles  to  school,— and  the  boys  especially  are  likely 
to  think  it  will  look  "  goody-goody,"— the  next  best 
plan  is  to  give  each  of  them  a  second  Bible  for  his 
own  use  during  the  school  hour. 

Marked  Bibles.— Teach  the  scholars  to  mark  their 
Bibles,  writing,  for  instance,  the  "  key- word  "  at  the 
beginning  of  each  book;  underscoring  the  leading 
sentence  of  a  chapter ;  marking  with  red  all  passages 
referring  to  Christ  as  our  Saviour ;  writing  a  P  after 
every  promise ;  "  railroading,"  or  connecting  with  a 
neatly  drawn  line,  phrases  that  are  antithetical  or 
mutually  explanatory,  etc.  One  set  of  colored  inks 
will  answer  for  the  class.  The  scholars  will  delight 
in  the  work,  it  will  induce  them  to  bring  their  Bibles 
to  school,  and  will  teach  them  how  to  use  the  Book. 

Bible  Dialogues. — Where  the  lesson  text  includes 
conversation,  get  the  scholars  to  read  it  in  dialogue 
form,  or  to  come  with  it  thus  written  out. 

Home  Bible-Reading. — The  school  may  be  set  to 
reading  the  Bible  at  home,  if  lists  of  readings  for  each 
day  of  the  week  are  written  on  cards  by  the  teachers, 
and  given  out,  to  be  returned,  signed,  in  token  that 
the  reading  has  been  accomplished. 

A  Divided  Primary  Department. — In  large  schools, 
where  the  superintendent  of  the  primary  department 
teaches  the  lesson  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes,  and  then 
298 


From  a  Teacher's  Notebook 

hands  the  classes  over  to  her  assistant  teachers,  it  is 
best  for  those  teachers  to  spend  their  time  in  eliciting 
from  the  children,  by  questions,  the  facts  and  truths 
just  taught  them.  Thus  you  will  make  sure  of  some- 
thing gained. 

A  Week-Day  Meeting.— -It  has  been  proved  possible 
to  sustain,  in  connection  with  a  primary  department, 
a  week-day  meeting  for  special  and  supplementary 
teaching,  including  singing,  mission  studies,  and  Bible 
history  and  geography. 

Introducing  Prayer. — This  little  verse,  recited  in 
concert,  is  used  in  many  primary  departments  just 
before  the  prayer  service : 

"  We  fold  our  hands  that  we  may  be 
From  all  our  work  and  play  set  free ; 
We  close  our  eyes  that  we  may  see 
Nothing  to  take  our  thoughts  from  thee ; 
We  bow  our  heads  as  we  draw  near 
The  King  of  kings,  our  Father  dear." 

The  Essentials.— Every  child,  before  leaving  the 
primary  department,  should  know  the  Command- 
ments, the  Beatitudes,  the  Twenty-third  Psalm,  the 
Apostles'  Creed  or  some  simple  statement  of  Christian 
faith,  the  books  of  the  Bible  by  name  and  order  and 
something  of  their  origin,  the  principal  features  of  the 
map  of  Palestine,  the  chief  events  in  Christ's  life. 
Some  of  the  Old  Testament  history  will  of  course  be 
added,— creation,  Abraham,  Joseph,  Moses,  Samuel, 
David,  Solomon. 

299 


Sunday-School  Success 

Primary  Prayers.— No  prayer  for  the  children  is  so 
good  as  prayer  by  the  children.  Ask  them,  one  after 
the  other,  to  name  things  for  which  they  are  grateful. 
Then  give  them  the  formula,  "I  thank  thee,  Lord, 
for  ...  ,"  and  let  them  offer  prayers  of  thanksgiving 
for  what  they  have  mentioned.  Again,  ask  each  to 
tell  one  thing  he  really  wants,  and  follow  with  prayers 
of  petition,  with  the  formulas,  "  Help  me,  dear  Jesus, 
to  be  ...  ,"  or,  "Give  me,  dear  Jesus,  .  .  .  ." 
Teach  short  Bible  prayers.  Offer  longer  prayers  in 
brief  sentences,  which  the  children  reverently  repeat 
after  you.  For  example :  "Our  dear  heavenly 
Father,  ...  we  thank  thee  for  this  beautiful  day, 
...  for  our  homes  and  fathers  and  mothers,  .  .  . 
for  our  sisters  and  brothers  and  friends,  .  .  .  and  all 
that  thou  hast  given  us  to  make  life  happy.  .  .  . 
Teach  us  to  be  helpful  to  those  that  are  without  these 
blessings.  .  .  .  Make  us  more  kind  and  patient.  .  .  . 
Help  us  to  do  everything  thou  dost  want  us  to  do. 
.  .  .  For  Jesus'  sake.  Amen." 


300 


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of  British   America.     An 
exciting   story    in   which 

way  of  describing  the  in- 
cidents  and  surroundings 
of  frontier  life.  His  cheer- 
t'ul,  almost  merry,  temper, 
while   recounting  the  de- 
vices resorted  to  in  endur- 
ing or  mastering  privations 
and  dangersarestimulating 
and    instructive.1'—  7ht 

the  marvels  ofdog  Instinct, 

Watchman, 

intelligence  and  strength 

play  the  chief  part.     Mr. 

Young  proves    in  a  most 
entertaining   and  instruc- 
tive way   that   each  dog, 

The  Apostle  of  the 
North,  James  Evans* 

just  at  much  as  a   person, 

With  twenty  illustrations 

hat   bis     own    individual 

by  J.  E.  Laughlin.   izmo 

character,    and   must    be 

cloth,  £1.15. 

dealt     with     accordingly. 

"A    fresh    theme    is   pre- 

Terrible perils,  wonderful 

sented  here  —  the  life  of  a 

escapes  and  sudden  emer- 

missionary in  Upper  Can- 

gencies mix  with  the  most 

ada,  and    the    northward 

comical  situations. 

regions  as  far  as  Athabasca 

On  the  Indian  Trail. 

Lake    and  even    beyond. 
Young  people,  usually  not 

Storiet   of  Missionary 

attracted     t  o    missionary 

Experiences   among     the 

literature,   will   be   inter- 

Cree   and    the  Saulteaux 

ested  in  the  book.     It  it 

Indians.     Storiet  of  Mis- 

well   illustrated."  —  Thi 

sion,     izmo,  cloth,  $1.00. 

Outlttl. 

PTjKMlNG  H.  •RKV.H'.i  -T,  COMPAJSTY 

NEW  YORK                  CHICAGO                  TORONTO 

